Mega Man Star Network
by Kindom Rider92
Summary: Lan Hikari of 20XX and Geo Stelar of 22XX thought their battles were over. But when a similar crisis affects both of their eras and sends Lan his Net Navi MegaMan/Hub to Geo and Omega-Xis' time, the two Mega Men have to team up for an adventure that takes them over 200 years! Rated T to be on the safe side.
1. Prologue: Two Times, One Crisis

Mega Man Star Network

By Kingdom Rider92

* * *

A/N: I know that I'm a horrible person. I know you guys are going to hate me for this and think I should leave the _Battle Network_ and _Star Force_ games alone, since their overall stories are complete (Lan and defeating Wily, WWW, Gospel, Regal, Nebula, and the Cybeasts, the brothers permanently reuniting thanks to the Copy Bots, and Lan FINALLY getting with Mayl in the _Battle Network _era, Geo and Omega-Xis becoming worldwide known heroes, defeating Cepheus and the FM-ians, Vega and Mu, King and Dealer, and Geo finally able to bring his father home in the _Star Force_ era), and not a lot of loose ends are left to tie up for either of them.

However, ever since the original announcement years ago of a _Battle Network _and _Star Force_ crossover, I was ecstatic… and then disappointed when I found it was a Japan-exclusive updated re-release of _Battle Network 1_ with an additional _Star Force_ scenario that more-or-less served as filler. Also, the _Mega Man _series has more or less had its plug pulled at this point, the cancellation of _Legends 3 _being the final nail in the series' coffin. I was kind of ticked off, and originally wrote out plans for a stand-alone crossover that would be an entire game-long one rather than just one scenario.

So, what happened to these plans? The computer that had them on its hard drive died horribly (most likely my fault, viruses and such), and I never put it on Cloud storage, so I completely lost the story. I gave up on it after that, deeming the idea to be a lost cause. This was years ago, by which I was already writing _Sonic Chao Chronicles _here on while I was working on other projects on deviantART. In short, I had left it behind and forgot the story ever existed and became too busy attempting to salvage my other projects.

So what inspired me to revive it? Well, after seeing that Mega Man's Final Smash in _Super Smash Bros. U/3DS_ was summoning the Mega Men from _X, Legends,_ _Battle Network,_ and _Star Force_ to shoot lasers at the opponents, I had gotten into a conversation with someone about whether or not Nintendo should consider talking to Capcom about just buying the Mega Man franchise since they're not really doing anything with the Blue Bomber anymore since the original creator of Mega Man, Keiji Inafune, has left the company, and Mega Man technically made his debut on a Nintendo system.

And thus, I remembered the basics of the original story. Now, I've been watching old YouTube videos and even playing the games to remember the two different times in the Computer Tech Timeline, hoping to pull this off. This is an experiment that I can no longer ignore, so may as well put it somewhere. Who knows? This could be my best work. Or it could suck and we all get a laugh out of it anyway. Heck, the only way I could get away with this in canon is because _Battle Network's_ epilogue is twenty years after the events of 6 (and a lot can happen in one year, so multiple adventures can be in twenty, including this one) and Geo is still technically a superhero (and his life as a hero has never been easy).

Anyway, the reason I'm using the English names for… well, this is not because I hate the Japanese names, but the fact that I've been exposed to the English ones a heck of a lot longer and I can't help but automatically think of _Battle Network's_ human protagonist as "Lan Hikari" rather than "Hikari Netto". It's a personal preference, really.

With that all out of the way, let's get started.

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: **THE FOLLOWING IS A FAN FICTION. MEGA MAN AND ALL OF HIS INCARNATIONS BELONG TO CAPCOM. PLEASE SUPPORT THE OFFICIAL RELEASE SO WE CAN GET MORE MEGA MAN GAMES! THIS DISCLAIMER GOES FOR ALL CHAPTERS SO I DON'T HAVE TO WRITE IT OVER AGAIN.

* * *

**Prologue: Two Times, One Crisis**

_In the Year 20XX, Net technology was continuing its rise. Net Navis, the central artificial intelligence programs of the time period, were continuing development, now being able to come into the real world with the help of Copy Bots, no longer bound by their Personal Terminals, or PETs for short. As Net Technology advanced, so did the people operating it… as did the cyber-crimes committed. The Net Police had their hands full fighting off threats these criminals had on everyday life, the Colonel Program and Iris Program soon in development._

_Net technology could not dominate the world forever, however. By the year 22XX, two centuries later, Net technology gave way to electromagnetic wave technology, which society became dependent upon after rediscovering it from ancient civilizations. Net Navis and PETs soon became things of the past, giving way to EM Beings such as Wizards, artificial beings made from EM Waves that served similar purposes of Net Navis, and systems such as the Hunter VG which used EM Wave technology to hunt down and delete the re-rise of EM viruses. The Net Police, the Official Net Battlers, and NAXA had become the Satellia Police and WAZA, who had to deal with the new type of Wave crime._

_Both times were eras of technological revolution. Both eras had their ups and downs… their heroes and villains… their adventures, their tragedies, and rescues. But these eras share one final thing… a crisis that spans over 200 years. One that if not fixed, one era's progress would seize violently, while the other's era would never exist._

_And both times had a Mega Man to save it._

* * *

**SciLab, Electopia—20XX**

A group of scientists typed away at their stations, monitoring Net activity. "Things sure have been peaceful for nearly the past year."

"You mean with the Cybeasts?" another scientist asked. The first scientist turned to the second.

"Yeah, with those things gone, we're looking at a new age of Net technology," the first answered. "…Still… hard to believe Dr. Wily is now helping the scientific community again. What changed him?"

"No idea, but that's not important," the second scientist brushed off. "For now, we should focus on getting this analysis finished. Once it's done, we can go home. My wife's making her spaghetti."

"Mind if I come over?" the first asked.

"You're not touching a single noodle." He turned back to his station, and said, "Now come on... we're almost done."

_**BRRRRRT! BRRRRRRT!**_

"What's going on, here!?" Dr. Yuichiro Hikari asked as he walked into the conversation. He looked at the monitor to see that an entire section of the Net had begun to shake.

"We have a Class 9 quake in Cyber City's Central Area of the Net!" the first scientist said, getting back to work. "The quake has even spread to Central Town's… Real World!"

"What!?" Dr. Hikari asked. "With the Cybeasts gone, an earthquake originating from the Cyber World spreading into the Real World with that magnitude… that's just not possible! How is that happening!?"

"I don't know, Dr. Hikari," the second scientist said. "Every Navi that was in Central Area and survived the initial quake has been forced to jack out. But… there may be a high deletion toll before the quake stops. We've just sent a mail to the Net Police so any and all Real World casualties can be accounted for."

"I can't believe this happened…!" Dr. Hikari gritted his teeth. "Any signs of the quakes spreading to other areas of Cyber City!? We need to save as much of the town as possible!"

"I don't think we're going to be able to save ANY of Cyber City…" the first replied. The Net Areas of Cyber City continued to shake, only with far more aggression. "Seaside and Wood Towns were just hit! Their Cyber Worlds also suffered from the quakes…!"

"Same with Sky Town…!"

"No…!" Dr. Hikari breathed. "At this rate, all of Cyber City…!" The monitor's image then died. "…What just happened!?"

"…Sir… we just lost all communication with Cyber City," the second scientist said. "The quakes have stopped, but Cyber City... it's gone, sir."

"You mean, Cyber City was destroyed?" Dr. Hikari asked.

"No, sir," the scientist replied. "As far as we know, all communications just severed and the city vanished. It's almost like… Cyber City never existed."

"Oh no," Dr. Hikari breathed. "Lan… he had friends there. I hope they're all okay. The Net Police will hopefully respond with good news. Until then, we have to work around the clock to reestablish communications with someone, anyone in the city. Hopefully, Lan won't do anything risky this time…"

* * *

**National WAZA HQ, Electopia—22XX**

"Ace, you really should not be moving too much," Queen Tia said as she watched Ace punch the giant sandbag he had set up.

"I need to get back in the game, Queen Tia," Ace said. Throwing a few more punches, he explained, "I can't just sit around and do nothing all of the time! Eventually, something big will pop up and if I'm not back in shape, I won't be able to help anyone! Besides, don't pretend like you don't like the show." Tia's blush gave Ace all he needed before throwing two more quick jabs.

"Ace, didn't Dr. Goodall say that this strenuous training would do irreversible damage to your weakened body?" Acid said as he popped out of Ace's Hunter VG. "Besides, the Satellia Police and WAZA ordered Trans-Code 001 Acid Ace to be retired after your reconstruction. We are lucky to be alive, Ace, and we've earned our peace."

"The world's always going to need heroes, Acid," Ace insisted. "Like it or not, we're still heroes."

"Acid is right to be worried, Ace," Tia argued. "You don't have to keep pushing yourself like this, anymore. I'm here, now. Jack and I are safe, and we're done with that. Stop blaming yourself for what happened with Meteor G, Dealer, and Mr. King." Ace punched the bag once more. "You're only going to kill yourself again at this rate."

"She has a point, Arthur," Dr. Goodall spoke up. The old woman walked in, a sad smile on her face. "When reconstructing you, I noticed an incredible amount of damage done to your body. The Noise corruption, the unique damage done by Wave Changing with Acidina corroding your body… and add the wounds received on top of all of that. I had less of a chance at reviving you than I did with Luna: there was a five percent success chance. If you keep Wave Changing and overexerting yourself at this rate, your muscles and vital organs will shut down."

"…So, I guess it's over," Arthur "Ace" C. Eos sighed, stepping away from the sandbag. "Acid Ace is retiring. Well, may as well make it official."

"Official?" Tia asked.

"You know, a retirement party," Ace said with a grin. Pulling out a Mega Snack, he quickly munched it. "If I'm hanging up Trans-Code 001, I'm doing so in a way that's memorable. Acid, e-mail Geo, Bud, Sonia, and their friends and family. Tell them to come to WAZA HQ in a few days. We'll need to buy a few party supplies."

"It's official?" Acid said, surprised it was so easy. "Who will become Trans-Code 001 in your stead?"

"I thought it would be obvious," Ace answered. "Only one person could take over."

"So, now that you're retiring from field work," Goodall asked, "what's next, Arthur? Do you plan to leave the Satellia Police and WAZA?"

"I couldn't stay away if I tried," Ace answered. "But, I have a few plans. For one, pro—"

_**BRRRRRT! BRRRRRRT!**_

"What the!?" Ace asked.

"Dr. Goodall! Ace!" a scientist spoke up as she ran into the room. "We just received word that an unexpected earthquake has just hit a nearby area!"

"What!?" Goodall asked. "What do you mean?"

"The Wave World of Wilshire Hills just went haywire with an EM earthquake!"

"What is the estimated damage report," Tia asked. The scientist looked at her. Silence filled the air. "I know I was the one responsible for much of the destruction of WAZA," Tia said, "but I still feel like we all need to know how bad Wilshire Hills suffered."

"Well, about that," the scientist said. "I wasn't reluctant to tell you because you were once our enemy, but because I don't the true damage caused. When the earthquake happened, the surrounding area of Wilshire Hills… the whole town just up and vanished! We lost all communications with it! We're still trying to trace the epicenter of the earthquake, but… this isn't natural!"

"How in the world…!?" Goodall breathed. "The amount of energy needed to cause an unnatural earthquake effecting both the Wave World and the Real World… that's off the scale!"

"Wait, how much of Wilshire Hills are we talking is now off the radar?" Ace demanded.

"Sir… all of it," the scientist answered.

"This is bad," Acid concluded. "If all of Wilshire Hills is gone, then that would naturally include the IFL Tower."

"Which is the civilian supplier of EM Waves throughout Electopia," Goodall recalled. "If that tower is lost… then the damage it would do to Electopia… an Electopia without EM Wave technology is almost unthinkable!"

"…In that case, it's not time for Acid Ace to retire _**just**_ yet," Ace said, taking out a second Mega Snack. With a munch, he declared, "I'm going to investigate."

"Ace…!" Tia protested.

"I'm the only one here who can investigate this in case there's a big threat!" Ace reasoned. "I'm sorry, Queen Tia, but you lost Virgo, Jack lost Corvus, Harp Note is in Netopia doing a tour, Mega Man and Taurus Fire have their last day of class, and we're not getting in contact with Rogue. While we do have Cygnus Wing and Wolf Woods, they're busy with other problems! I'm literally all we have right now in case this is a huge emergency!"

"I hate to say it, but Ace is right," Acid said, looking at a Browse Screen to show those registered with Project-TC were all occupied. "None of our alternative Wave Changers can be spared right now… but we will take a unit of Satellia Police Commandos to assess the situation. We'll probably need it in case the situation has become even more complex."

"Arthur, this is extremely reckless," Goodall said. "You're not one-hundred percent healed yet. That said, I know there's no stopping you… but you and Acidina are to only Wave Change if given no other option. Now, go investigate what's happening, but be careful."

"…This is your last EM Wave Change, Arthur," Tia warned. "After this, you are never Wave Changing ever again! If you get hurt, I will find a way to reconstruct Virgo and delete you myself! Do you understand me?" Ace stood in shock. Not because of the threat by his girlfriend, but by said girlfriend actually using his real name.

"…Clear as crystal," Ace said. "Acid, let's go."

"Understood." The two ran out, a small box falling out of Ace's pocket. Tia, curious, bent down and picked it up. The woman opened it up… and gasped at the diamond ring with Q.T. engraved in the band.

"Dr. Goodall?" she asked. Showing the box, she asked, "Was Ace…?"

"He was going to propose to you, yes," Goodall smiled. "Congratulations, by the way."

"…I haven't said yes, yet."

"You haven't said no. Anyway, dear, I'll leave you to do some soul searching." Goodall began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Tia demanded from the older woman.

"I'm going to look into the incident myself," the old scientist smiled. "After all, I'm sure Mr. Stelar and Meggars will figure out something is amiss and investigate it, anyway. I want to give them as much help from HQ as I can."

* * *

Kingdom Rider92's Notes: And thus, the prologue is finished. What do you all think? Is it awesome and something I should continue? Is this a story I should let die now? Does anyone have ANY suggestions (I still haven't finished _Star Force 3, _so I have no guarantee that I'll get the chracters like Ace and Solo/Rogue completely right, so I will probably need help)?

I know I didn't really show the panic and worry very well in the 22XX time… but I promise that I will show how devastating this all is soon. Now, you're probably wondering who I'll have enter the situation first, Lan and Hub (for instances that I'll have both Mega Men working together, I'll refer to the Navi as Hub) or Geo and Omega-Xis (who is ultimately easier to refer to by name).

Anyway, the answer: I'm sorry, _Star Force_ fans, but the storyline would be easier to establish if we stick with 20XX and Lan for now. So, the first arc will follow Lan and for up to the first boss, and then switch to Geo and Omega-Xis.

Farewell, my subjects!


	2. Chapter 1: Start of a New Journey, 20XX

A/N: Well, let's hope that we can begin the operation. Jack-in, NovelMan, Execute!

NovelMan: _Before you jack me in, shouldn't you let your readers know how communication shall work?_

Good point. Okay, here's a quick run-through:

"Jack-in!"—Normal speak

"_Hey, kid."_—Real-World to Cyber/Wave World communication, TV/Phone speak

'_Dear Geo…'—_Written Information in-story

'(What chips should I use?)'—Thought

"(Here's the plan...)"—Whisper

LH— Lan is the focus

HH— /Hub is the focus

GS—Geo is the focus

003—Geo as Mega Man

That basic enough?

NovelMan: _Hopefully. Now we can jack-in._

* * *

**Chapter 1: Start of a New Journey, 20XX**

-LH-

**Den City, ACDC Town, Electopia—20XX**

"…_Wake up, Lan!"_ MegaMan spoke from the PET on Lan's desk. "Come on, you're running late again!"

"…Ugh, five more minutes… besides, it's Saturday…" Lan muttered.

"_I know it's Saturday!"_ MegaMan said. _"But didn't Mick and Tab say they're coming from Central Town today?"_ Lan's eyes snapped open.

"What…?" he asked his Net Navi.

MegaMan explained, _"Your friends Mick and Tab? From Cyber City's Central Town? The ones you haven't seen in a while since you all were busy with junior high? This is literally the first time in months that you all have had to hang out since school is over for the summer! They're coming to Den City today to hang out!"_

"Oh, right!" Lan said, sitting up. Getting dressed in his usual orange vest over a white shirt and black and yellow shorts, Lan asked, "How did I forget?"

"_Did you plug it into the Digital Calendar Yai bought you?"_ MegaMan asked.

"Well, I did," Lan answered, tying his blue bandana with the Hikari crest around his head.

"_Did you actually INSTALL the Digital Calendar into the PET like Dad asked you to so you can be on time for episode?"_

"You know the answer to that!" Lan said as he pulled on his orange shoes. "You can check it now!" As if on cue, the Digital Calendar popped up next to Lan.

"_Did you actually CHECK the Digital Calendar like Mom and Dad insisted that you do?"_ Lan sheepishly grinned at the remark. _"You forgot you actually have to check this thing regularly to remember what you're supposed to be doing on what day, don't you?"_

"Aw, give me a break, Hub!" Lan groaned, grabbing the attachable skates and strapping them to his backpack. "It's been peaceful for some time now. Especially after the Cybeasts!"

"_Don't remind me,"_ MegaMan said as Lan grabbed his PET and pointed towards the Copy Bot in the room. When MegaMan finished transferring from the PET to the Copy Bot, the blue Navi joked, "If we never see the Life Virus, Gospel, Bass, Alpha, Duo, Nebula Grey, the Dark Chips, Gregar, or Falzar ever again or something as powerful as them, it'll be too soon. Oh, by the way, Lan, I almost forgot to tell you, you have an email from Dad."

"Now who's being forgetful?" Lan teased, checking his PET.

_**Subject: Working Late**_

_**Sender: Dad**_

'_Lan, MegaMan,_

'_Sorry__ if I'm there to greet the two of you this morning. Something big came up at SciLab and I'm going to be terribly busy, even working overnight. Apologize to Mom for me. In the meantime, you two stay out of trouble, okay?_

'_Dad'_

"So Dad's busy?" MegaMan asked.

"Yeah," Lan said. "But you know Dad. If he has to work late, it's gotta be important."

"That's true," MegaMan said. "So, what now?"

"Well, after breakfast, we gather Mayl, Yai, and Dex and head over to the train station. After we pick up Mick and Tab, we'll hang out on the Net a bit."

"Sounds like a plan," MegaMan agreed. "Let's go tell Mom about Dad, though. Do you want me to return to the PET?"

"Nah," Lan waved off. "Chances are Mick and Tab will easily recognize us with you out here in the real world."

Lan and MegaMan headed downstairs to where their mother Haruka was waiting. "Good morning, boys," Haruka greeted.

"Hi, Mom," Lan smiled.

"Hey, Mom," MegaMan spoke up as Lan sat down at the table and began eating. "Dad sent an email saying he was caught up at work."

"Really?" Haruka frowned. "Your father isn't working on another project, is he?"

"Not as far as I know," MegaMan answered. "I'll admit that I'm worried that he's busy."

"He'll no doubt be hungry," Haruka said. "I'll bring him something to eat soon. Do you two have any plans today?" Lan swallowed.

"Yeah," Lan nodded. "Mick and Tab are coming, soon. I'm going to spend time with them, Mayl, Yai, and Dex. I asked Chaud to come, but he hasn't responded yet."

"Your friends from Cyber City?" Haruka recalled. "That's nice to know that you're all getting to spend some time together! Have fun, but be careful!"

"Okay!" Lan nodded. "We should gather up everyone. Bye, Mom!"

"Bye, Mom!" MegaMan waved before the two left.

"Be careful, boys!" Haruka called after them. When they were out of earshot, she sighed to herself. "Yuichiro," she prayed, "please do not be involved in something dangerous. Goodness knows your sons will get involved."

After calling their friends and killing some time waiting at the train station, Mayl arrived first. Not much about his childhood friend changed over the year since graduating elementary school. But then again, despite Yai growing a bit taller, not much had changed about any of his friends. "Hey, Lan! Hi, Hub!"

"Hey, Mayl!" Lan greeted. "Thanks for agreeing to hang out."

"Like Roll and I would miss this chance to talk to old friends," Mayl smiled.

"_Not to mention it's been a while since we've all spent time together,"_ Roll added from Mayl's PET. _"Isn't that right, Mega?"_

"Yeah, Roll," MegaMan chuckled. "I can't wait to see how well Yai, Glyde, Dex, and GutsMan are doing! You guys all had different classes in junior high, and Yai even went to a different school."

"Yeah," Mayl sighed. "I hope they've done well."

"Hey, guys!" Yai spoke up as she walked up. Glyde stood behind her, much to Lan and Mayl's shock.

"Yai, is that…?" Lan asked.

"Greetings, Mr. Lan and Miss Mayl," Glyde said with a polite bow. "As you can see, Miss Yai was able to purchase a Copy Bot similar to yours, MegaMan."

"That's amazing, Yai!" Mayl complimented. "I've heard that personal Copy Bots cost a fortune!"

"Well, to be fair, the Ayanokoji family is rich," Yai said. "Tell you what, Mayl; I think I know just what to get you for your next birthday."

"Really?" Mayl asked.

"Yo, guys!" Dex called as he walked over. "How've you all been?"

"Dex!" Lan grinned, clapping Dex's hand. "Glad you could make it!"

"Like I'd miss an opportunity to rematch Mick and then battle you!" Dex chuckled. "Right, GutsMan?"

"_Guts, Guts! This time, MegaMan won't stand a chance!"_ GutsMan added.

"You two are on anytime!" Lan challenged. Yai and Mayl giggled.

"You boys will never change," Yai teased.

The group took this time waiting to catch up. As they chatted, MegaMan and Glyde kept track of time. About an hour longer than they should have waited passed. Lan frowned in worry.

"This is strange," Lan said. "I was even late waking up, and even then I made it on time. Tab would at least keep Mick on time."

"You don't think something happened to them, do you?" Mayl asked. Lan, curious, dialed Mick's PET.

"…_I'm sorry,"_ a voice spoke as a light blue being popped up on Lan's PET. _"This number is no longer functional. If you dialed this number by accident, please hang up."_

"That's a strange-looking Mr. Prog," MegaMan noticed.

"_I'm a Hertz, actually,"_ the creature corrected. _"Mr. Progs have been decommissioned for some time, now. How could you not know that?"_ The group looked at each other, confused._ "Anyway, I'm sorry your call could not be connected. Goodbye."_ The Hertz disconnected the call, leaving the group stunned.

"How could Mr. Progs be gone without any of us noticing?" Glyde said as Lan hung up. "I just ran into a few the other day on the Net while doing some shopping for Miss Yai."

"More importantly," Mayl said, "Mick's number isn't functional? What does that mean?"

"Well, only one way to find out," Lan said. "Anyone up for a trip to Cyber City?" The group looked at Lan.

"Wait, us going to Cyber City?" Yai asked. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I think Lan's onto something," Dex said. "The train to Cyber City's Central Town is still working. If they're not coming to ACDC, then we'll just go see them!"

"I don't know," MegaMan said. "They wouldn't both be late if something wasn't up. This could mean something big is happening."

"All of the more reason to check it out," Lan answered. "If something is happening in Cyber City, we need to find out what. Maybe it has something to do with the Mr. Progs being decommissioned!"

"Well, we ARE going to see them," Yai agreed. "And we have the whole day. Why not?"

"I suppose," Mayl said. "And Cyber City being a model of a next-gen Net Society means it has more to offer than ACDC and Den City."

"Then it's settled," Lan grinned. "We're off to Central Town!" The group cheered, but MegaMan and Glyde looked mildly worried.

"I have a bad feeling about this, MegaMan," Glyde whispered.

"You're not the only one," the blue Navi agreed. Despite this, the group boarded a train heading straight for Cyber City.

* * *

**Cyber City Outskirts?—Hours Later**

The metro line came to a halt near where the LevBus station should have been. However, when the group left the Metro, they could not help but notice the LevBus that would take them into Central Town was gone.

"Hmm, that's strange," Lan muttered. "The LevBus station was right here the last time."

"Maybe they tore it down?" Dex said. "To be fair, much of Cyber City, Central Town in particular, was destroyed during the Cybeast incident you guys stopped. We'll find another way to get into the city." Before the group could leave, a bus pulled up next to them. While it looked like an ordinary LevBus at first, the group could not help but notice the strange glow and face the bus had.

"Or that could happen," Yai said. "I'll pay the fare for everyone." She was about to enter the bus when it fell to the ground, smoking. The bus opened and the driver stumbled out, panicked.

"Oh man!" he groaned. "Not again! This always happens to you, but why this far from the bus depot!?" A few of the bus riders walked out, offering some mild complaints.

"What's wrong, sir?" Mayl asked. The bus driver turned to the group.

"Oh, customers," the driver chuckled. "I'm sorry, kids, but my bus has broken down. I think there's a virus affecting its Cyber Core. Despite looking high-tech, this thing is an old model based off the old Net society, so it's difficult to repair this far from the Bus Depot." The group looked at each other, but said nothing. "I think I can handle it on my own, but it's going to take me a while. I'm no good at virus busting."

"A virus?" Lan asked. "Well, virus busting is right up our alley! We'll have your bus up and running in no time, sir!" Turning to his brother, he said, "MegaMan, you're going to have to go in."

"Mega Man?" the bus driver asked.

"Roger," the blue Navi agreed. "Transferring back to the PET!" MegaMan faded out of the Copy Bot, returning to Lan's PET. The group missed the bus driver's jump. _"Find a spot to jack me in, Lan!"_

"We'll help too!" Mayl added.

"Yeah!" Dex grinned.

"Glyde, shall we assist?"

"Of course, Miss Yai," Glyde nodded before Yai transferred him out of his own Copy Bot. Lan found a jack on the inside of the bus.

"Here we go!" Lan cheered. "Jack-in, MegaMan, Execute!"

"Jack-in, Roll, Execute!

"Jack-in, GutsMan, Execute!"

"Jack-in, Glyde, Execute!"

-HH-

**Old Bus CC**

MegaMan, Roll, GutsMan, and Glyde all appeared in the Cyber Core, where a group of Mettaur viruses were chipping away at the ground around them.

"That's a lot of Mettaurs," MegaMan said as they approached the collection. "Good thing you guys are all here to help bust them."

"Don't worry, MegaMan!" GutsMan chuckled. "GutsMan bets he'll get more than you!"

"Let's not turn it into a competition, gentlemen," Glyde said.

"I don't know, Glyde," Roll smiled. "It seems like old times since we took on viruses together. Let them have a little fun." The Mettaurs all looked their way, infuriated that they had been interrupted.

"It's been a while since we did this," MegaMan said. "Anybody need a refresher?"

"_Nah, I'm sure we're good,"_ Lan responded. _"We'll brush up as we go."_

"_Alright, guys,"_ Yai smiled, _"let's see how well we've improved since we've been apart! Everyone ready to operate?"_

"_Ready!" _Mayl answered.

"_You bet!"_ Dex nodded.

"_I'm good to go!"_ Lan said. _"MegaMan, let's rock! Battle routine, set!"_

"Execute!" MegaMan responded.

The viruses attacked the Net Navis with their typical shock wave attacks, but the Navis, having endured countless members of their brethren, easily dodged their attacks and counter-attacked. MegaMan, given two Cannon Battle Chips, blasted a few Mettaurs away along with help from his Mega Buster. Roll's arrows shot through the Mettaurs, while GutsMan's Guts Hammer tore through a group and Glyde took out a cluster with a Glyde Flash. The poor viruses did not stand a chance, especially once MegaMan and Lan went into Full Synchro. The viruses were cleared in no time.

"We did it!" MegaMan grinned, pumping his fist. "Lan, is the bus working?"

"_Hold on,"_ Lan said. _"Mr. Bus Driver?"_

"_Yes! This old gal's runnin' again! I can't thank you enough, kids!"_

"_No problem!"_ Lan smiled. _"MegaMan, Roll, GutsMan, Glyde, you guys were awesome!"_

"Mega Man?" a new voice spoke up. The group of Net Navis turned to see a small blue creature, something that looked like the Hertz they saw before, floating over to them. "No way! It's really Mega Man?"

"You know who I am?" MegaMan asked.

"Of course!" the Hertz answered, bouncing up and down. "Everyone in the world knows about you! The legendary world-saving hero!"

"MegaMan's a hero?" GutsMan asked. "Well, he has saved us a few times, guts."

"Not to mention he has averted six world-ending crises like the Life Virus, Gospel, Bass and the Alpha program, Duo's Comet, the Dark Chip syndicate Nebula, and the Cybeasts," Glyde added. "Seven if you count the second Life Virus and the Zero Virus."

"You guys…" MegaMan blushed. "I can't believe we're bringing up all of those again."

"Wait, six or seven?" the Hertz said. "I thought he saved the world three times—the FM-ian invasion, the Neo Mu Empire attack, and Dealer's plan to use Meteor G. When did those incidents happen?" The group of Net Navis looked at each other and then at the Hertz. "Come to think of it, Mega Man, your armor and design… it looks a bit different from what I've seen in the Air Displays. Kind of retro… almost two-hundred years old retro."

MegaMan looked up to the real world, and asked, "Lan, are you all getting this?"

"_Yeah,"_ Lan nodded. _"It's pretty strange. I don't remember FM-ians or a Neo Mu Empire. Duo's hard to forget, but I'm pretty sure that was a comet instead of a Meteor, and we faced Nebula and Dr. Regal. Not some group called Dealer."_

"Maybe you're remembering everything wrong," the Hertz suggested. "I've been a Bus Hertz for some time now, and those incidents aren't in my memory bank."

"Um, excuse me," Roll interrupted. "Exactly what year do you think it is?"

"Isn't that obvious?" the Hertz answered. "It's 22XX!"

"_22XX?"_ Yai asked. _"That's impossible… that would be..."_

"_200 years from now!"_ Mayl concluded.

"_So, what, did we step into the future or something?"_ Dex asked.

"_I don't think so,"_ Lan said. _"I'm actually using my Calendar, and its 20XX. All I know is that we're not in Cyber City."_ Turning back to MegaMan, he said, _"Let's jack-out for now. We've got a mystery to solve, and the only way to solve it is by exploring this new town."_

"Roger!" MegaMan nodded before jacking out, the other three Navis following suit.

"…So that _wasn't_ the Mega Man that I've heard of?" the Hertz asked aloud. "Well, it was still pretty cool to have been saved by a new Mega Man. I wonder why he and his friends looked so retro, though. Almost like the old Net Navis?"

-LH-

**Not-Cyber City Outskirts**

After transferring MegaMan and Glyde back into their Copy Bot forms, the other bus riders applauded Lan's group. "That was really impressive, young man!" an old man commented. "You and your friends sure know how to use your Wizards!"

"Wizards?" Mayl asked.

"You know," a young woman answered, pointing to MegaMan and Glyde. "EM Wave beings designed to help us in our daily tasks? They usually live in the Hunter-VGs that everyone has nowadays. We can also materialize them into the real world. You may have forgotten it while in school. For example…" She turned to the side, holding out a pink device, and called, "Wizard On!"

A pink, female humanoid being digitally manifested in front of Lan's group, floating next to the woman. Energy was coming from where her legs should have been, but she looked otherwise normal. "Hello!" the being known as a Wizard waved. "How are you doing?"

"That's amazing!" Dex said. He then asked, "(GutsMan, why can't you do that?)"

"_(Because I'm not a Wizard, guts?)"_ GutsMan offered. _"(Though now, GutsMan kind of wishes he was, guts!)"_

"Wizard Off!" the woman showing off her Wizard called, the being returning to her Hunter-VG. Turning back to the group, she continued, "Like yours, Wizards can also be used for virus busting. Though I'm surprised to see you all have rather old models for your Hunter-VGs."

"I think I read up on those models," a young man said as he looked at Lan's PET. "They kind of look like PETs…"

"PETs?" a girl asked. "You mean like what people had way before Transers and Star Carriers?"

"That's exactly it!" Yai interjected, stepping forward.

"Miss Yai?" Glyde asked.

"(Play along,)" Yai whispered to the group before turning back to the curious crowd. She then did what any good future CEO would do when it came to a situation: handle it. "You see, my father's company, AyanoTech, is currently researching ways to improve upon the current Hunter-VG system. You see, in other parts of the world, there is so much old technology like this bus that the ordinary Hunter-VGs are incompatible with it, causing incidents like this to happen. The reason for the PET design is that the PETs were compatible with much of the technological upgrades before the shift to Transers. However, these are prototypes tested by myself and my friends, and cannot really have all the functions a normal Hunter-VG the power to manifest our Wizards into the real world on our own."

"Then how are those two Wizards able to show up in the real world?" a boy asked, pointing to MegaMan and Glyde. Glyde decided to step forward.

"That is an easy question, young man," he smiled. "We are simply using an additional old device known as the Copy Bot. Developed in Cyber City, the Copy Bots can allow beings such as I to manifest into the real world at all times, even with older model Hunter-VGs such as the ones Miss Yai and Mr. Lan are using now."

"We're still in the testing phase and working out any bugs in the system," Yai concluded, "so these PET-like Hunter-VGs won't be hitting the store shelves anytime soon. However, once we've ironed everything out, you can bet AyanoTech will be mass-producing these!" The crowd clapped in approval. Glyde bowed at the praise while Yai did a mild curtsy.

"Anyway," the bus driver said, "since you kids took the time to help me out, how about I give you all a bus ride for free? I won't need to see your Link Power for this one."

'(We're going to have a lot of questions to answer,)' Lan thought to himself. "So, does this bus go into the city?"

"Sure does!" the bus driver answered. "We've delayed long enough! All aboard!" The group boarded the bus, followed by the rest of the crowd. "Next stop, Wilshire Hills!" The bus pulled away, heading into the city.

Inside, Lan's group thought about what they've learned. First, Cyber City had somehow disappeared overnight, being replaced by this new town they were heading to—Wilshire Hills. Second, Mr. Progs were replaced by these Hertz creatures, and everything with a jack is considered rather old. Third, there was apparently someone else using the name "Mega Man" running around, and had saved the world three times. Fourth, PETs were virtually replaced by these Hunter-VG devices, and almost nobody said anything about Net Navis, instead having Wizards. But the most prominent thing that unsettled them was that this town and the people around them who acted like none of this was unusual were all from two-hundred years into the future. They all had so many questions about this development, but one question they all could agree on:

What could this sudden development mean for Cyber City?

* * *

Kingdom Rider92's Notes: Yeah, I could not keep this cat in the bag for a long time. May as well get it out there that I swapped the towns.

Edge's Corner: That escalated quickly.

Kingdom Rider92: Edge, what are you doing here?

Edge: We've been working together for the past five years. Why do you keep being surprised that I hijack your reviews when I'm bored and waiting for _Sonic Chao Chronicles_?

Kingdom Rider92: I'm going to be working on _Sonic Chao Chronicles_ soon enough!

Edge: Don't care, review answering!

**blee7442:** Well, as you can see, Lan and his friends were curious as to what happened to Mick and Tab as well as the rest of Cyber City (because honestly that city has a lot to offer the _Battle Network _era), a Calendar function was added to the PETs, making it—if this story was a _Nintendo 3DS_ game since Nintendo seems to have a good majority of the _Battle Network _and _Star Force _era games on their handheld systems—a very useful tool for keeping the era and current objectives as well as keeping track of side missions, discovered that Cyber City and Wilshire Hills were completely swapped by some unknown entity, and Yai took complete advantage of vital information that is general knowledge of the future to possibly use to help her father's company because Kingdom here likes making guile heroes out of children. It's a problem. It's a very serious problem.

Kingdom Rider92: Wait, the story's overall conflict I've been working on almost a month now, or that I keep taking young characters and making them somewhat magnificent bastards?

Edge: Yes.

**Devil's Den:** As you can see, we are working on it. Not going to lie, we really want the main characters to meet. That's our primary goal right now—getting Geo and Lan in the same room as each other and talking, as well as addressing the main plot. Anyway, we've been doing a heck of a lot of research into both settings in our attempts to keep the characters, places, and terminology consistent. As for POV, Kingdom wanted to be completely clear. When it comes to fight scenes, though… I'm not going to lie, viruses are really hard to write action scenes for since a majority of viruses in both the Net era and Wave era lack the sentience of the Net Navis and EM Beings we're going to be seeing in this story. I swear, I cannot wait for the first boss, because then Kingdom can let loose.

NovelMan: I'm glad I'm not a real character in this story, especially as a villain. I'd hate to be deleted by MegaMan.

Edge: NovelMan aside, about the names. Yeah, we understand that the Japanese names are a heck of a lot cooler for some characters more than others. We're sorry for anyone who prefers them like you, but like you said, everyone has their own opinion. Feel free to call them however you want in the reviews, we'll study up on our Japanese names to satisfy others.

**Guest:** I'm going to assume you attempted to make one post but it split into two. Anyway, thanks! We hope this story gets read, too. As for romance… not going to lie, there may be some slight romance, but not enough to completely overtake the adventure and time traveling elements. We're not going to completely resolve the Sonia-Geo-Luna love triangle or anything really major like that. Yeah, Kingdom prefers Bud on the beach scenario because it's funnier to see both girls angry and pigging out (also Bud Wave Changes for the first time on his own, signifying that it has a better plot point).

Kingdom Rider92: Are you done?

Edge: Yep! Farewell, subjects!

Kingdom Rider92: Hey!


	3. Chapter 2: Wilshire Hills, ToT

A/N: There was a mild rant here, but I didn't want it interfering with the story. Here's Chapter 2!

* * *

**Chapter 2: Wilshire Hills, the Town of Tomorrow**

* * *

**SciLab**

Dr. Yuichiro Hikari stared at the collection of static monitors. "What could have happened to Cyber City? What caused that earthquake if both Cybeasts were deleted by MegaMan along with Colonel and Iris' sacrifice?"

"There you are!" Haruka smiled as she came in, carrying a boxed lunch. "Lan and Hub told me that you spent the night here working, so I figured you'd be hungry."

"Oh, Haruka," Yuichiro greeted. "I'm sorry I didn't come home last night… again. Are Lan and Hub okay?"

"Yes," Haruka answered. "However, Yuichiro… I have to admit I'm curious. The last time you've had to work this late—"

"I know, Hub installed a legendary monster into his body in an attempt to prevent it from going on a destructive rampage throughout the Net," Yuichiro said. "It's partially my fault that happened, since Lan and Hub overheard me talking about how to seal away Cybeasts. But right now? I fear something much, much worse is happening to Cyber City."

"Cyber City?" Haruka asked. "Why? What's wrong with it?" She looked at the wall of static monitors, many of which were labeled with names of towns and parts of the Cyber World that were parts of Cyber City and it's Net. "…What happened, Yuichiro?"

"I don't know," Yuichiro answered. "One minute, everything was fine, I was about to clock out early. The next, a Class 9 earthquake originating from the Net strikes and spreads into the real world, doing untold damage… and then this."

"Dr. Hikari!" someone said as she walked in. She was a young woman in her early-mid twenties with wavy, golden blond hair tied in a short ponytail, light blue eyes, a beauty mark on her right cheek, and a slim figure. She was dressed in a white lab coat covering much of her body, save for a pair of faded jeans.

"Oh, you're Akiko, right?" Yuichiro remembered. "Haruka, this is Akiko. She's an intern from Cyber City. She has yet to earn her doctorate, but she's a prodigy with electronics and can recreate programs very well."

"…Yes," Akiko sighed. She looked at Haruka, and asked, "You're Dr. Hikari's wife, aren't you?"

"I am," Haruka said. "And I'm sorry about Cyber City. We used to live in Central Town for some time before moving back to ACDC. Our sons have friends from there."

Akiko confessed, "I grew up in Central Town as a little girl. To see it suddenly vanish and then change…"

"Wait, suddenly change?" Yuichiro asked. Akiko blinked, looking at the monitors. To her surprise, they were blank.

"You haven't seen it yet?" she asked. She walked to a nearby computer, and typed something. "This should be the footage that the Net Police have captured while investigating." Eventually, the monitors all regained their view, showing a town… but it was vastly different. While Cyber City was one of the highest technological cities in Electopia, the technology that this town was far beyond what they had at the present. Holographic screens, highly advanced vehicles that did not run on any known fuel sources, Navi-like creatures that manifested in the real world without Copy Bots, and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

The most impressive thing in the new city, however, was the colossal tower in the center of town that seemed to have an energy reading far off the charts. The energy flowing from the tower seemed to be powering the city, enabling all of these advancements. The scientist in Yuichiro Hikari had to admit that he was impressed.

"How did this happen overnight?" Yuichiro asked.

"We're still trying to figure that out," Akiko answered. "However, that's not the only thing… Net Police Navis have managed to jack in at the few accessible locations in the town, and this is what they've seen." When she typed it in, the footage showed a collection of orange pathways above the actual town, some even extending low enough to touch down on the ground. "This isn't the Cyber World we're used to, Dr. Hikari. This town has technology that doesn't exist in anywhere else in the world, and is far more advanced than anything we've ever seen. When questioning civilians in the town, they said something about '22XX'. This town, if I'm right… is from two-hundred years in the future."

"What!?" Yuichiro asked. "Are you saying that a town built two centuries from now somehow switched itself with Cyber City?"

"That is my theory, yes," Akiko answered. "So far, nothing's happened save for minor confusion on everyone's part. How long this lasts, however, depends on everyone. We have no idea what the future can hold, so we should approach this with caution."

"But what about Cyber City itself?" Haruka asked. "Lan and Hub have friends there… are they alright?"

"Save for those who have been out of town like me for the past 12-18 hours," Akiko explained as she turned to Haruka, "we've failed to account for any of Cyber City's residents. Every resident of this Future Town most likely is from the future as well. This only leads to one conclusion…"

"That the citizens of Cyber City have been transported with it as well to whatever time and place that this town is from," Yuichiro finished. "Well, that solves the problem of the missing people. Hopefully, they're okay… but we should get to work on rescuing them."

"Understood," Akiko nodded. "And sir? I must say that even though this is a crisis, it's an honor working alongside one of the five leading scientists in the world." Akiko left the Hikaris alone, who turned to each other.

"We should call Lan and Hub," Haruka said aloud. "Get them to come home and hope they stay out of trouble."

"It's a little too late for that," Yuichiro said as he looked at the screen. Haruka joined him looking at the screen, and spotted Lan, MegaMan, and their friends exiting a bus, and looking around. "They must have noticed Mick and Tab didn't come to visit, and headed to that Future Town."

"Oh no," Haruka breathed in shock.

-LH-

**Wilshire Hills**

"And this is just the bus stop?" Dex asked as they looked around. They were not even five minutes downtown and already the group was overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of what this glimpse of the future had in store. Futuristic hover cars, cool hover bikes, actual hover boards, and more zoomed down the streets. There were also plenty of Wizards roaming around town.

"I can't believe how advanced this place is," Lan said, looking at a floating screen. It was showing an advertisement for a movie: _'The Shooting Star',_ a science-fiction action movie where aliens invade Earth to try to eat all humans, only for one human to suddenly gain superpowers and fight the alien menace.

"Hey, guys," Yai spoke up. "I've been thinking on the bus ride over… why don't we get our hands on some of those Hunter-VGs?" The group looked at her. "Come on, don't tell me you're not curious. If I can figure out the right upgrades, I'm sure my father's company's success will skyrocket in the future!"

"Is it okay for us to possess technology two-hundred years ahead of us, though?" Mayl asked. "Sure, they seem safe, but wouldn't it cause some serious damage to the time stream?"

"She has a point, Miss Yai," Glyde agreed. "There is no telling what obtaining technology from the future could do to it. Furthermore, there is no doubt by now that the authorities have caught wind of Cyber City's disappearance. If the Net Police and the Officials caught us with this advanced technology, we would most likely suffer dire consequences."

"I don't know how we'll be able to explain it to Mom and Dad that we got caught sneaking around with potentially illegal technology from the future," MegaMan added.

"It does seem like we'd be grounded for the entire summer when you put it like that," Lan admitted.

"Oh, where's your sense of adventure, Lan?" Yai asked. "We've been through worse. Besides, if we don't blend in a little better, we'll be suspicious to these people from the future. I can only fast talk us out of so many scenarios! We'll never get to the bottom of what happened to Cyber City if we stop, here."

"Not to mention I want to see if we could make GutsMan a Wizard!" Dex agreed with Yai.

"Come on, Lan," Yai grinned. "Isn't the future scientist in you curious about what the future holds?"

"Alright," Lan admitted. "I want to see what these Hunter-VGs are about!"

"Lan, are you sure this is a good idea?" MegaMan asked.

"It won't hurt to take a peek," Lan justified. "We'll just look around a little bit. No harm done, right?"

"Oh, alright," MegaMan sighed in defeat.

"_Come on, Mega!"_ Roll smiled. _"It'll be fun!"_

"You too, Roll?" Mayl asked. "…Okay, we'll go get one."

The group found out from locals that this was just the Street Level of Wilshire Hills, and much of the town was actually built up high, reminding Lan and MegaMan of Cyber City's Sky Town. They needed to go to the Financial District for shopping. One elevator ride later, they found themselves in the Financial District of Wilshire Hills, where they were immediately swamped with the advertisements literally flying up to their face.

"_Feeling hungry on the go?"_ one of the ads spoke up. _"Try a Mega Snack! Now in 50 different flavors!"_

"_Looking for a new dress or fancy a new suit?" _a second ad asked. _"Wilshire Hills' New Shopping Plaza now has a new Nacy's department store!"_

"_Coming soon to Electopia Theaters: _'The Shooting Star'! _Loosely based on the original story of the hero 'Mega Man'!"_ Lan and MegaMan raised their eyebrows at the advertisement. The fourth advertisement further confused them.

"_Soon to debut in Wilshire Hills: 'Cyber Legacy'! Come see the remnants of Net Society and look at the work of Dr. Hikari, the man who laid the groundwork for the EM Wave technology we use today!"_

"Dad helped make all of this?" MegaMan asked.

"Looks like it," Lan said. "I wouldn't put it past him to help found this technology. I hope to help this one day!"

"_New Hunter-VGs are for sale in the new Shopping Plaza's second floor,"_ a fifth advertisement offered. Just the one Yai needed.

"Perfect!" Yai smiled. The advertisements flew away from them. "So, how do we get to the Shopping Plaza from here?"

"Um… are you new to Wilshire Hills?" a new voice spoke up. They turned to see a green-haired, brown-eyed boy around their age walking up to them. He was wearing a short purple jacket over a sleeveless white shirt, dark purple pants, a yellow pouch on his hip, and a purple clip in his hair.

"Oh, um, yes," Mayl answered. "We're a little lost…"

"I know that feeling," the boy said. "I've been trying to find myself for some time, now. But enough about me. I'm Patrick Sprigs… you can call me Pat."

"Nice to meet you, Pat!" Lan nodded. "I'm Lan Hikari."

"Hikari?" Pat mused. "I think I've heard that name before. I'm not sure where, though… anyway, what brings you here?"

"We were looking to see if we can buy Hunter-VGs," Yai answered. "The problem is, we're lost."

"That's easy to fix," Pat smiled. Turning to a set of nearby stairs, he explained, "Head up there, and take an immediate left. The Shopping Plaza should be that way. However, the Security Wizards have blocked it off for right now. They're inspecting it for damage due to a sudden earthquake that hit last night."

"An earthquake?" Dex asked. "You'd think quake damage would be noticeable."

"They're just making sure," Pat said. "The Shopping Plaza and the IFL Tower are major tourist attractions here, the Tower especially."

"The IFL Tower?" Lan asked.

"It's the tallest building in Electopia," Pat explained. "It also transmits EM Waves throughout Electopia."

"Um, remind us," Yai said, taking charge. "EM Waves stand for…?"

"Electromagnetic Waves," Pat answered. "They have made society comfortable for a long time, now and power several electronics. While before, most have been invisible to the naked human eye, current developments in EM technology have made EM Waves solid, allowing the creation of devices made of waves like Matter and eventually Real Waves and even Wizards. I have a pretty unique Battle Wizard, myself."

"Really?" Dex asked. "Can we see it?"

"I don't know," Pat said. "He's calm right now, but he can be pretty dangerous. I prefer not to show him off in public… at least not until I can find myself."

"Oh," Dex sighed. "Sorry, man."

"Not a problem," Pat insisted. "I wouldn't want anyone getting hurt because he got out of control. I hope you guys can get your Hunters-VGs, though."

"Thanks for your help!" Lan nodded.

"By the way," Pat pointed out, looking at MegaMan, "these are pretty unique Wizards. Not too many Wizards look fully human like these ones do… they almost look like Net Navis." He then walked into the elevator, leaving Lan's group stunned.

"Do you think he was onto us, Miss Yai?" Glyde asked.

"I'm not sure," Yai answered. "Though I do know something… the future has some cute guys."

"Yai!" Mayl giggled.

"What?" Lan asked.

"_Boys will be dense," _Roll said as they wandered throughout the town. True to Pat's word, there were two dog-like Wizards blocking off the Shopping Plaza.

"Sorry, kids," one told them, "but we're still sniffin' around for trouble. We'll be announcin' when we're finished our inspection via email."

"Um, Mr. Wizard," Lan asked, "will this email work on our devices? We kind of don't have Hunter-VGs…"

"I can tell you're usin' an old model terminal," the Wizard answered as he looked at Lan's PET, "but emails are still universal. Still, a check wouldn't hurt. Sendin' a test email."

_**BEEP-A-BEEP! **__**BEEP-A-BEEP!**_

Lan looked down at his PET that buzzed. Two emails showed up.

_**Subject: Test Mail**_

_**Sender: Security**_

'_Okay, if the test worked, you should have received this! If it worked, let me know!'_

"Alright, it worked!"

"Yeah, that is definitely an old terminal," the Security Wizard nodded. "You should upgrade. I'll put in a good word for ya when the Shopping Plaza reopens!"

"Lan, what's the second email?" MegaMan asked.

_**Subject: We're coming!**_

_**Sender: Mom**_

'_Lan,_

'_We just found out about what happened to Cyber City and how it's been… replaced. We also found out that you and your friends have entered the town. Dad and I are on our way now. Please don't do anything dangerous before we get there, okay?_

'_Mom'_

"Mom and Dad are on their way now?" Lan asked as soon as they were out of earshot of the Security Wizards.

"I told you we'd get in trouble for this!" MegaMan scolded.

"To be completely fair," Lan argued, "Mom never said we were in trouble!"

"We're going to be when they get here!"

"Those two really have their brotherly fights," Yai commented.

"But at the same time," Dex said from experience, "it goes to show that they care for each other like real brothers do. Chisao and I may not get along at times, but I'd go through anything to make sure he's safe."

"_If anyone wants to get to Chisao, GutsMan will crush them!"_ GutsMan agreed.

"Anyway," Mayl said, walking forward and stopping the argument between the Hikari brothers, "they won't be here in Wilshire Hills so soon. We should find someplace to wait for them and figure out how to apologize."

"But first," Yai said, "we may as well look around. If they're not here before the Shopping Plaza reopens, then it won't hurt to do that, right?"

"You really want one of those Hunter-VGs, don't you?" Dex asked.

"Like you don't?"

The group, remembering what Pat said about the IFL Tower, headed over there, and spotted the large building easily enough. A building that was over a hundred stories with a giant satellite on top of it was kind of hard to miss. The only place that Lan had seen that tall would be Mt. Belenus back during Nebula and Dr. Regal's kidnapping of his father. According to Pat, this building was extremely significant to the people of 22XX.

However, they could not enter the building with more Security Wizards standing in the way.

"Sorry, kids," one of the Wizards said. "No civilians are allowed in here right now."

"Because the earthquake earlier, right?" Glyde asked. "Terribly sorry, sir."

"Not exactly," the Security Wizard answered. "Sure, the earthquake that started from the Wave World and leaked into the real world was bad, but despite this place being at the epicenter, no significant damage was done. The reason the building's blocked off to civilians right now is because we're still going under renovations. This is where the Cyber Legacy exhibit is going to be held."

"Wouldn't a museum be a better place to have an exhibit?" Mayl asked.

"The IFL Tower has an entire section dedicated to a museum," the Security Wizard explained. "But the Cyber Legacy exhibit is so huge, we're dedicating quite a bit of the IFL Tower to it. Only certain people have the kind of access needed to enter here. Sorry for any inconvenience."

"That's alright," Lan nodded. "We just wanted to look around Wilshire Hills. Thanks for answering our questions!"

"No problem, sir," the Security Wizard nodded. "Have a nice day!" The group walked away.

_**BEEP-A-BEEP! **__**BEEP-A-BEEP!**_

"Lan, new mail," MegaMan detected. Lan checked his PET.

_**Subject: Shopping Plaza Open!**_

_**Sender: Security**_

'_Good news, ladies and gentlemen! The Shopping Plaza has cleared all inspections. You can now feel free to enter and shop to your hearts' content! Furthermore, we just received word that there is also a display that will be presented later this afternoon! Enjoy yourselves!'_

"Finally!" Yai beamed. "Come on, guys! We still have time to obtain Hunter-VGs!"

"Miss Yai, wait!" Glyde yelled, but she was already off.

"Man, Yai's been off the wall," Lan said. "What happened to her while she was at school?"

"My apologies," Glyde bowed. "While separated from you all, Miss Yai has begun taking her duty as future CEO of AyanoTech very seriously. If she thinks she can help the company in any way, she'll do so. This opportunity to obtain technology from the future, while potentially dangerous, is once-in-a-lifetime."

"I can understand that!" Dex said as he followed Yai's general direction. The others followed him.

When the group arrived at the Shopping Plaza, they saw that the mall was crowded with plenty of people. Multiple shops and cafés were filled to the brim, making it hard for them to find what they want. It did not help part of the Shopping Plaza was blocked off by a few security Wizards, saying that the display that will be presented later. However, that was when they remembered that the shop they needed was on the second floor. One trip up a nearby set of stairs later, they found a shop advertising Hunter-VGs. MegaMan and Glyde decided to wait outside.

"Hello," the shopkeeper greeted as they entered his store. "Are you here for the newest Hunter-VG models?"

"Yep!" Yai answered. "These are our first Hunter-VGs, so we're pretty excited!"

"I understand the excitement," the shopkeeper answered. "You all can pick out a color, and I'll instruct you on how to use it." After Yai purchased them, the group did not take long to pick out a Hunter-VG—Lan had a classic blue, Mayl preferred a pink one, Dex took a green Hunter-VG (although GutsMan initially complained), and Yai took a yellow one. "I see you've all picked out a Hunter-VG. Now, you're probably wondering why it's called 'Hunter'?"

"That thought DID cross my mind," Dex confessed.

"Well, you may have noticed," the shopkeeper explained, "but with the increase of Wave technology development, there's the sole negative aspect of the increase in virus-related problems. The Hunter-VG, in response, was created to make the process of virus-busting much easier. Hence the name."

"So we could finally compete with Lan in virus-busting," Dex commented.

"Or I could be a much better virus buster than before," Lan offered in contrast.

"That's it?" Yai asked, looking at her Hunter-VG. '(You'd think the future would have something better to offer than that… I better not have spent all of that Zenny on something I'd probably never use.)'

"That's not all the Hunter-VG has to offer," the shopkeeper explained. "It has several different functions besides dealing with viruses. First, Codenames: they're nicknames you use to access the upgraded network. You don't have to decide that, now, but having one will help. Next, the pop-up system."

"Pop-up system?" Mayl asked.

"With so many advancements in technology, there has been an increase in information. In fact, too much information for normal humans to sift through at times."

"Kind of sounds like someone I know," Yai mused, looking at Dex.

"Hey! I've been trying to clean my room!" Dex scowled.

"That's a pretty good analogy," the shopkeeper pointed out. "When we need to find something quickly, there's no time to waste. And it's hard when information is buried in a ton of data. Hence the new pop-up system: it makes things so much easier. Try talking to the person in front you."

"Okay," Lan nodded. "Hey, Mayl…" When Lan looked at his new Hunter-VG, something popped up on his screen: _'Mayl Sakurai',_ her family symbol of the pink heart over a yellow circle, Roll's face with the label '_Net Navi',_ and the symbol of ACDC—the pink squirrel.

"Whoa!" Mayl yelped. "Lan… your name, family crest, MegaMan, and the ACDC symbol appeared!"

"That's a pop-up," the shopkeeper continued. "It shows important information. For instance, the person you're talking to right now. Try touching the symbol for your town." Lan did so: _'A small community part of Den City in 20XX.'_ "As you can see, even if you just met for the first time, you would know key details about each other. But these aren't the only pop-ups. If you'd stand in front of an elevator, such as the one leading into the financial area of Wilshire Hills we're in now, you'd probably get a selection of choices to go to in order to make travel easier."

"This is all pretty confusing," Dex said. "But I think we'll get the hang of it!"

"That's basically all for my explanation," the shopkeeper finished. "My mentor, Aaron Boreal, didn't come in, but he knows a lot more than I do."

"Thanks so much for these Hunter-VGs, sir!" Lan said.

"No problem, kids," the shopkeeper smiled. "Have a great day!" The group walked out, and then he realized something. "Wait… did they say something about 'Mega Man'? Oh, wait… I forgot to tell them to reform any Brother Bands they had before upgrading!"

Outside, the two Copy Bot Navis met up with their operators. "So, how did it go?" MegaMan asked.

"Pretty good, all things considered," Yai said. "We haven't figured everything out, but I'm sure we can find a way to work it alongside PET technology."

"We best be careful about who we show these to outside of this city, Miss Yai," Glyde advised. "We have no idea what damage could potentially be caused to time."

"We'll be careful!" Dex assured Yai's Navi.

"_Just don't forget about us Net Navis in PETs with these Hunter-VGs, Dex, guts!" _GutsMan told him.

"Like I could ever forget about you, GutsMan!" Dex said.

"I'm glad you all got what you wanted," MegaMan said, "but aren't you all forgetting something?" The group of kids looked at each other, but jumped when they remembered what it was MegaMan was referring to.

"WE FORGOT ABOUT FIGURING OUT WHAT'S GOING ON!" Lan yelled. "How could I have forgotten!?"

"Well, there's that," MegaMan said. "I was referring to Mom and Dad coming. We should probably return to the street level of town so we can meet them there."

"Oh, that too," Lan sheepishly admitted. Mayl and Yai giggled.

"This trip is totally worth being in trouble for," Yai mused. "Come on, let's go home. We got something out of this trip, even though we didn't see Mick or Tab."

"They and Iris were Lan's first friends in Cyber City when he moved," Mayl said. "They're part of the group… I have to admit I'm worried about them and the rest of Cyber City."

"_We should go meet up with Lan's parents, though,"_ Roll sighed. _"They're going to be pretty mad if we're late."_

Lan's group left the Shopping Plaza, and headed straight for the elevator. There, they saw the pop-up system actually occur, giving them the choice between the Financial District (although, judging by the option being grayed out, that was where they were now), the Residential Area, and the Street Level. Lan, curious, pressed the street level button, where the elevator immediately took them down to Street Level.

"So," Yai said, "while we wait, what did you guys think up for in terms of CodeNames. I'm Ms. Y20XX."

"ACDCGuts for me!" Dex answered.

"I just went with PianoBear," Mayl said, looking at her Hunter-VG.

"Just call me HikariBN," Lan said. "So, we should probably write these down..."

"Already did," Yai said. "I'll send you an e-mail later." Pulling up in a car were Lan and MegaMan's parents.

"There you are!" Haruka said to them as she got out of the vehicle to hug her boys.

"Sorry for making you worry, Mom," MegaMan apologized. "When we noticed Mick and Tab were late, we decided to go figure out what was going on…"

"About that," Yuichiro began as he came over. He motioned them to follow somewhere private. When he was sure nobody else was around to hear them, Dr. Hikari began his explanation. "I figured you would have found this out eventually, so may as well tell you all, now. This town is from 200 years into the future."

"We know that from talking to some of the people here, Dr. Hikari," Mayl confessed. "However… how did this happen? Where's Cyber City? What's going to become of the population here? And what happened to Lan's friends from Central Town?"

"We still don't know the cause ourselves," Yuichiro answered. "Last night, there was a huge earthquake that affected Cyber City that originated from the Net…"

"Dad, how's that possible!?" Lan asked. "The Cybeasts that caused those earthquakes on the Net were deleted by Colonel and Iris! We watched them all die!"

"I know," Yuichiro answered. "Honestly, I had never been prouder of either of you for helping stop those Cybeasts, even though it was extremely dangerous."

"Thanks, Dad," Lan smiled.

"Back on track, however," Yuichiro said. "One of my interns, Miss Akiko, hypothesized that the earthquake that hit Cyber City last night had somehow taken Cyber City and replaced it with… this Future Town."

"Wilshire Hills," Yai corrected. Yuichiro and Haruka looked at the youngest member of the group. "If we're going to refer to this town in conversation, we may as well call it by its proper name."

"…So, Dad, how grounded are we?" Lan asked.

"I'm not thinking punishment yet, since you all had good intentions of seeing your friends this summer," Yuichiro said. "We're still going to talk to your parents about this, however, but that's for later. Right now, since we're here, we may talk about what you've seen and heard before the Net Police and Officials finish their reports. I'd like to have confirmation from someone who's experienced this city."

"Well, pops," Dex explained, "technology here is WAY beyond what we have right now! There's something called EM Waves that power everything in the future!"

"Electromagnetic Waves as an energy source?" Yuichiro said. "I'll have to write that down… it's impossible today, but give us around fifty or so years, it could be a viable source of energy."

"According to the Security Wizards," Glyde added, "Wilshire Hills was also subject to an earthquake."

"Wizards?" Haruka said.

"They're beings made up of EM Waves," MegaMan answered. "They seem to serve the same purpose as Net Navis in the future. EM Wave technology is so advanced, that are even vehicles made up of them. I have to admit, they're pretty powerful, and my processing power's even feeling them."

"They're affecting you, MegaMan?" Yuichiro asked.

"Why didn't you tell me that was happening?" Lan asked.

"I didn't want anyone worrying about a tingling sensation that seems to be making me more powerful," MegaMan explained. "Glyde?"

"I must confess that my systems have improved as well," Glyde said.

"Anyway, so this town was also affected by an earthquake as well?" Haruka asked. "I'm not a scientist like Dad is, but… these can't be coincidences that both Cyber City and Wilshire Hills were hit by earthquakes, right?"

"They're not coincidences," Yuichiro said. "That further supports Akiko's hypothesis—that Cyber City and Wilshire Hills were somehow swapped between times. These quakes must have been caused by a rift in space-time opening up, and the result was two cities in different locations. Hopefully the people of Cyber City made it to the future with it, but this is still a dire situation. We have an entire population believing they're still in future 22XX, and we have been exposed to technology that we're not ready for, yet."

"And I think we have the future's power source," MegaMan added. "Dad, there's a huge tower on top of the city that transmits the largest supply of EM Waves throughout Electopia, and the people of the future are dependent on EM Wave technology."

"That makes the disappearance of Cyber City even worse," Yuichiro grimaced. "Cyber City was home to several projects that would further the development of Net technology—the kind that would most likely make places like Wilshire Hills possible by their time. We don't know if the EM Wave technology of the future has negative side effects, but even if they don't we can't keep this town if we want the world of tomorrow running. Without that tower, they may not have their EM Waves."

"Oh no!" Yai said. "Then we have to get this city and these people back to the future, pronto!"

"Hold on, kids," Yuichiro interrupted. "We have no idea how or why the cities somehow shifted between time periods, and none of the technology we have today at SciLab is capable of repeating the process that caused this to happen. Even if we drop all of our projects we have now—including the one I'm working on that I was hoping to share with all in a week's time since it's almost finished—and we collaborated with every branch of SciLab in the world, by the time we could rectify this development, who knows how much damage would have been done to the time stream. In fact, us being here talking about what we've learned from the future could have done some damage."

"Sorry, Dad," Lan sighed. "Still, we need to find a way to save Cyber City, even if it's easier said than done!"

"I'm glad to see you show enthusiasm for this," Yuichiro complimented. "If only you could take that same enthusiasm for school work."

"I've been trying that for years, Dad," MegaMan pointed out.

"MegaMan!" Lan groaned.

"Alright, kids," Haruka interjected, "we should head home, now. We'll focus on solving this starting tomorrow."

"Hey, it's starting!" a boy yelled. The group turned to see a group of people crowded around a large floating screen.

"What's starting?" Yuichiro asked.

"You haven't heard?" a young man asked. "There's going to be a preview of what the new Cyber Legacy exhibit has to offer at the Shopping Plaza in a few moments!"

"(Cyber Legacy?)" Yuichiro asked Lan.

"(No spoilers, but you had a big impact on the future,)" Lan answered.

"But the mall can't accommodate everyone in Wilshire Hills," the man continued, "so the benefactor of the Cyber Legacy exhibit has all of the Air Displays in town set to broadcast the exhibit. You don't want to miss this!"

The group, although they wanted to go and figure out how to resolve their immediate crisis, could not help but look at the screen. They saw a giant red curtain covering a colossal stage and a black coffin standing up in front of the stage.

"_Heh, heh, heh… ladies and gentlemen of Wilshire Hills and Electopia! Thank you all for coming out to see today's latest performance, despite last night's earthquake and your… unexpected trip!"_

Everyone stared at the coffin as it opened, dark fog covering the stage. Out of the smoky coffin emerged a man with long, blonde hair in multiple braids beneath his purple bowler hat. He wore a purple longcoat with a white ascot sticking out, white show gloves, and green striped pants with brown shoes. In his left hand was a black cane with a bird shaped handle.

"What an overly dramatic entrance," Yai commented. However, the group noticed the confusion and concern of the crowd.

"Unexpected trip?" a girl asked. "I know its summer vacation time, but I didn't hear about going on a trip? Grandma?"

"No, I don't remember planning a trip for you," the girl's grandmother answered. "What is that eccentric man raving about?"

Yuichiro scowled as he listened to the man's words while Lan clenched his fist around his PET as he watched this man parade in front of the stage like he owned the place. Mayl noticed this. "(Lan, Dr. Hikari,)" Mayl asked, "(you don't think he knows about the cities being swapped in time, do you?)"

"(I think he does,)" Lan answered. "(What other unexpected trip could he be talking about?)"

"(Definitely,)" Yuichiro said. "(He knows… but he's not part of the Net Police, Officials, or SciLab, and we're literally all who know right now.)"

"_You all seem so confused,"_ the man taunted. _"So lost. So unaware. Humans are always curious, foolish creatures, aren't we? Well, alas, I will not spoil the surprise. Instead, I'll let the benefactor explain."_ With a laugh, he said, _"Presenting the benefactor of the Cyber Legacy exhibit: Mr. Cain!"_

"…Cain?" Yuichiro asked aloud.

The stage curtain unveiled, leaving a colossal Copy Bot beneath a collection of hourglasses and a large digital clock counting the days, hours, minutes, and seconds left before the exhibit. But what interested everyone was the man standing in front of the Copy Bot. The man had shiny, medium length gray hair. He was wearing a black business suit with a notable hourglass pin on his jacket, an orange, stylized Σ highlighting the left side of the pin.

"_Forgive my colleague's… eccentric personality," _Cain began. _"But yes, I'm the mysterious benefactor of the Cyber Legacy exhibit. I welcome you all to this sneak preview."_

"What the… what's he doing here?" Haruka asked aloud. Dex, Yai, Mayl, and Glyde looked at the Hikaris.

"Lan," Mayl asked, "what's going on?"

"Cain was the former mayor of Cyber City," Lan answered, "and the principal of Cyber Academy, where I went for school when I moved to Central Town. However, that was his public face. He was really the benefactor of WWW's Cybeast plan!"

"What!?" Dex asked. "You mean he supported WWW!?"

"Exactly," Yuichiro answered. "I forgot you all were never in Cyber City until the Expo and the Cybeast attack. The reason he did so was because he wanted revenge on society for demonizing his grandfather, the creator of Falzar, the Cybeast created to destroy Gregar, the Cybeast made of Bug Frags. However, Cain secretly was planning to betray Dr. Wily and take the Cybeasts for himself. Of course, that plan was foiled when he was forced out of office."

Haruka added, "When Lan exposed him, Cain was arrested by the Net Police and was impeached as Mayor of Cyber City. I thought that would be the last time we would ever see him."

"I thought so, too," Yuichiro recalled. "However, after the Cybeasts' roars destroyed several powerful systems in Cyber City, he escaped Green Town's Punishment Room during the chaos, only to never be seen for an entire year! For him to come back now… he must have something up his sleeve."

Lan scowled, "And chances are… if anyone knows what happened to Cyber City, it's him! Come on, MegaMan! We have to question Ex-Mayor Cain!" Lan strapped his roller blades on, and skated towards Wilshire Hills.

"Lan, wait!" MegaMan said, running after him.

"Boys!" Haruka yelled. However, it was already too late, as they boarded the elevator. "Why do those two always run headfirst into trouble?"

"Lan does have a point, though," Yuichiro scowled. "Mayor Cain being here when the rest of Cyber City is somewhere in time? That cannot be a coincidence. Let's hope this isn't a trap."

* * *

Kingdom Rider92's Notes: Well, this escalated quickly. So, you're probably looking at this, then back to me, then back to this chapter, and then back to me. Now you probably gonna ask yourself, "How can this guy JUSTIFY Hyde and Cain?"

Simple: Their fates were basically left unknown by the end of the last game of _Star Force _and _Battle Network,_ respectively and both could be in positions to be major villains later on. Hyde a.k.a. Dark Phantom was believed by Geo and Omega-Xis that he'll come back. As for Cain, yes, he was arrested. But considering the chaos wrecked by the Cybeasts, it's not impossible for him to have escaped when the Cybeast roars hit Green Town and the Judge Tree. If anyone was expecting the undying Dr. Wily or evil for evil's sake Dr. Regal, don't forget Wily's turned over a new leaf while in prison, and Wily himself is responsible for Regal's reform. Sean's been out since the end of _Battle Network 2._ And _Network Transmission's _Professor (who really needs a freaking name) is out because he's been in prison for some time now and was never heard from again.

The thing I was really shocked about was so many people thought I had already sent Lan's group to 22XX. I'm sorry guys, but the trip to 22XX has yet to happen. You see, instead of the group going to 22XX, Wilshire Hills came to 20XX. This will be explained later.

Anyway, Pat Sprigs! You know, I was disappointed that Pat didn't return for _Star Force 3._ He was going on a walkabout the last time we saw him in _Star Force 2, _trying to gain control over Rey and (apparently) Gemini. In this case, Pat sadly was caught in the time swap upon returning to Electopia. However, he may be of help…

Finally, getting these guys Hunter-VGs… I wanted to do something with the Hunters, so if it feels tutorial-ish, I borrowed the basic Hunter tutorial from the start of _Star Force 3._ Anyway, reviews.

**Ghost501:** Holy crap, the author of many _Battle Network_ fics commenting! I feel honored. I would like to consult you on Navi ideas, such as the one that will be showing up very soon. You don't have to say yes, but I'd appreciate it.

**Devil's Den:** Fair warning in advance: I may have just graduated college, but I am still job hunting for something after the summer. I also have other stories as well… so I'm not saying there won't be times I take a break from this, but I have to juggle things.

**Lyres:** Thank you!

**reppuzan:** Thanks so much! Keeping these guys in-character is what requires the most research. Well, that and the chips, attacks, and merging the two series without creating a mess, like you said. I went with the space-time quake since it seemed really creative. Anyway, sad to say, Lan and Geo aren't meeting face-to-face JUST yet. Though when they do meet, I feel like I have to work that angle. Also, thanks for pointing out errors!

**blee7442:** Well, they have a glimpse of the future. The only reason the EM Wave technology still works at this moment is because the IFL Tower is still transmitting EM Waves, so as long as they stay within the city limits for NOW (it may spread to the rest of Electopia later), those who rely on EM Waves will be fine. As for telling them apart, that'll be easy when they're together. Since they have canon names besides the obvious (Hub for , Geo for SS Mega Man), I won't have too much difficulty if I refer to them as such when in the same area. Boring, yes, but practical in the long run.

**No. XIII:** Well, thank you very much. Sad news is they're still in 20XX. Anyway, are you talking about the scene where Zack thought Bud was on a diet? Well, I suppose I can work some comedy into this fic.

**SubaruTC003:** Wow. That is pretty dang thorough. Thank you! We may talk EM Beings.

Well, that's all I have for now. Hope you have a good day! Farewell my subjects!


	4. Chapter 3: Cain and the Great Clock CC

A/N: Well, I'd say something witty here, but I have nothing. I'm sorry for the delay; I've been playing _Star Wars: The Old Republic. _Anyway, this is Chapter 3, in which we'll tackle the first… well, dungeon!

* * *

**Chapter 3: Cain and the Great Clock CC**

* * *

**Wilshire Hills**

"_Citizens of Wilshire Hills,"_ Cain's voice said while the lift zipped up the elevator. _"As you all know, EM Wave technology has made daily life far convenient nowadays. We use them in several devices: our electronics, the Air Displays you watching from home are viewing now, the Hunter-VGs you most likely carry… even this stage I am on is a Real Wave.'_

Lan and MegaMan ran (or in Lan's case, skated) out of the elevator as fast as they could. "What could Cain be after!?" Lan asked as he headed inside the Shopping Plaza.

_**BEEP-BA-BEEP! BEEP-BA-BEEP!**_

"Lan, you have mail again," MegaMan said as Lan stopped. Lan looked at his PET.

_**Subject: Just in Case**_

_**Sender: Mayl**_

'_Lan, you're always running off into trouble… you know I worry about you. Thank goodness I have this. You can borrow Roll's power for now. Still, we're on our way, so be careful at least until we get there!'_

'_Mayl'_

"Roll's Mega Chip?" MegaMan asked as Lan installed a blank Battle Chip into his PET and began downloading the code Mayl sent him.

"Yep," Lan said after he pulled it out. "This always comes in handy."

"_But we as a people cannot forget what life was like before EM Waves. Once upon a time, there was the Net, and all electronics were connected to it. Before Wizards, people had Net Navis as companions. But Navis did not join us in the real world like our Wizards could. At least, at first…"_

The two brothers headed to the Plaza Stage, which was pretty crowded. By the time they arrived, Cain was pointing to the giant Copy Bot. "Ladies and gentlemen, this plain old figure behind me is not a statue. It is a Copy Bot, a machine that by 20XX allowed Net Navis and other cybernetic creatures to manifest themselves into the real world. Behold this video of a Copy Bot from two hundred years ago!"

Cain then pressed a button that summoned a holographic screen (that Lan now knew as an Air Display). On it was footage of his first day at Cyber Academy where he inserted MegaMan into a Copy Bot, reuniting the Hikari Brothers in the real world for the first time in their lives. The people in the crowd awed.

Cain continued, "My colleague, Mr. Hyde, and I rediscovered it with the help of our young, lovely assistant from YumLand. She would demonstrate the technology for you all today… but alas, she had to cancel at the last minute and neither Mr. Hyde nor I have a Navi. It's sad to say that even though they once could come into our world and aid us in tasks, they are now obsolete and are hardly around anymore."

If Lan's blood could turn cold at those words, MegaMan's processes almost froze. "What?" the Navi asked. "Net Navis… we're obsolete in the future!?"

"I can't believe this!" Lan breathed. "Wizards… they replace Net Navis! That's why we didn't hear too much about them!" Cain looked up at Lan and MegaMan, offering a silent smirk before turning to the rest of the crowd.

"But do not frown in disappointment, ladies and gentlemen!" Cain concluded. "For right now, we here at Chromos are developing the ultimate Net Navi with which to demonstrate the power of the Copy Bots, as well as several Net Navis to show you around the Cyber Legacy exhibit once it opens!" The crowd clapped, now more excited to see what the world of 20XX and the technology that Lan's time had to offer.

"I can't believe Cain's rubbing Dad's work and our time's technology in our faces!" Lan scowled. "He's lying to these people about 'rediscovering' Net tech! We have to expose him!"

"Lan, wait!" MegaMan stopped him. "(Who are these people going to believe more? Cain, who had once fooled all of Cyber City and managed to demonize us when the ex-WWW members kidnapped me, or two kids who start pointing fingers like idiots? Besides, we need to avoid a riot!)"

"(But MegaMan…)" Lan started.

"(Think about it, Lan,)" MegaMan said. "(If we tell these people they've all been transported two hundred years into the past, there will be a mass panic. Also, technically, he's not lying about the exhibit, so we'll come across as crazy if we try to expose him and nobody believes us. I hate to say it, but… Cain has us in a no-win situation. Let's play along, and try to question him later—)"

_**BZZT! BZZT!**_

"What in the world?" Cain asked. The giant digital clock above the stage began to actually spark with electricity.

"Are we having a bit of technical difficulties?" the man known as Hyde asked. "Perhaps someone should have a look…"

That was when the hourglasses exploded, flooding the area around the Plaza Stage with sand. "Is this the work of viruses!?" a woman shrieked.

"This is bad," Cain announced. "The sand will get into the Great Copy Bot's circuitry and corrode it. It's also getting into the Great Clock as well, and with that sparking electricity… it may explode, taking the Great Copy Bot with it… and the explosion from that will destroy the Shopping Plaza, doing untold damage to the rest of the city!"

"What!?" a man asked. "We have to get out of here!" Much of the audience fled, leaving soon only Lan and MegaMan.

"Why is it that wherever we go," MegaMan asked, "trouble follows? You have to jack me in, Lan!"

"MegaMan, aren't you worried?" Lan said. "Your Copy Bot will get damaged by the sand as well! We need to get you out of here and transfer you back into my PET before you corrode!"

"But Lan, if we leave now, we may have trouble getting back in with all of the sand in the way! And who knows what will happen to the Copy Bot when I'm out of it!"

"In that case, I'll find a way to clear out the sand, and let Mom and Dad know where your Copy Bot is! Now come on! It's starting to fill up!"

MegaMan reluctantly followed Lan out of the filling Plaza Stage, and looked back to see the exit was barred off by several feet of sand. Lan, meanwhile, looked around and found a good spot to store the Copy Bot—nearby a bench. He transferred Mega Man out of the Copy Bot and back into his PET, storing that away for now.

"_I'll send Dad an e-mail," _MegaMan solemnly said. Lan looked down at his PET. It did not take Lan long to realize that MegaMan was worried about something.

"MegaMan…"

"_Lan," _the Navi said, _"I think I know why that Hertz on the bus confused me for another Mega Man. It's because we're obsolete by their time. We're just a collector's item by 22XX, and despite this exhibit Cain is putting on—ulterior evil plan or no—we'll just be forgotten in time. Even if we stop him, this will change nothing for Navis…"_

"Not if I can help it," Lan scowled. "Not if WE can help it, MegaMan. The future's not set in stone just yet." MegaMan looked up at Lan as he pulled out his PET. "I can't count the many tight spots I wouldn't have gotten out of without you—and we both know it has nothing to do with my math grade, so don't even start. Meanwhile, whenever you're in trouble, you know that I'd take on the world if there was even a slight chance at saving you. But when we work together, we're virtually unstoppable. Hub… we're brothers, right? And brothers look out for each other." MegaMan said nothing. "Come on, Hub. We have to save Wilshire Hills. Hopefully then, Net Navis will get the attention and appreciation they really deserve." While Lan skated off in search of something to clear the way, Pat walked to where they were standing.

"Net Navi?" Pat whispered.

Meanwhile, Lan looked around, eventually spotting a backpack-shaped green vacuum lying around on an abandoned janitor's cart. The vacuum had a face on it and even chubby cheeks. According to his Hunter-VG, the vacuum was made up of EM Waves. Now that he thought about it, the Hunter-VG pointed out that the Plaza Stage had plenty of EM Waves solidified into its current form. Cain called it a "Real Wave".

"I'll just borrow that," Lan said, grabbing the vacuum's nozzle.

"Hey!" the vacuum yelled.

"What the!?" Lan asked, looking at the device. It looked pretty angry. "Is this thing… alive?"

"Who do you think you are, pulling on my nose like that!?" the vacuum demanded. "And what do you mean, 'Is this thing alive?' You act like you haven't seen a Matter Wave object before!"

"Um, actually, I haven't," Lan said. "So, you're a Matter Wave Vacuum?"

"Call me Vic-Vac!" the vacuum answered. "So, this is your first time talking to a Matter Wave, huh? Well, as you know, EM Wave technology has vastly improved to the point that humans can make solid and sometimes sentient objects out of them. But before everyone got Wizards, we Matter Waves came first. I'll have you know that I was based off the vacuum from the horror _Ghost Crisis II: Spectre Status! _Now, here I am, stuck on janitorial duty… I went from being a collector's item to this because Wizards are all the rage."

"_Yeah,"_ MegaMan sighed from his PET. _"I know how it is to find out that you're suddenly considered obsolete."_

"Whoa," Vic-Vac beeped. "Are you… a Net Navi?"

"_Yeah, I am,"_ MegaMan said. _"Why?"_

"Oh, man, my kind replaced you guys!" Vic-Vac apologized. "Net Navis were still around, but they were reduced to collectable cards that people could use for daily tasks. Then we Matter Waves showed up. Then Real Waves and Wizards, and we Matter Waves just fade into the background. Now I know how you guys feel. Okay, tell you what, I'll help you out!"

"Really?" Lan asked.

"Anything to get out of this mall and be useful again!" Vic-Vac answered. "I'll be your first Matter Wave! Though I should probably explain how this works. Do you have a Hunter-VG?" Lan showed his. "Perfect! I'll just hop into this…" Vic-Vac then digitized himself, reappearing as a pop-up in the Hunter-VG. _"Okay, kid, how familiar are you with the pop-up system?"_

"I just learned it today," Lan confessed.

"_I see,"_ the vacuum Matter Wave replied. _"Well, lucky for you, this is real simple. Just touch my pop-up, and I'll auto-materialize on your back, where you can suck up just about anything in front of you. Dust, loose change, ghosts…"_

"Even that big mound of sand?" Lan asked, looking at the sand in the way of the Plaza Stage.

"_Sure, why not?"_ Vic-Vac shrugged. _"Fair warning though… I get full pretty easy. You may need to empty me out at times, but it's not too much of a hassle."_

"Thanks, Vic-Vac!" Lan grinned. "Alright, let's go!" He turned around and activated the pop-up, Vic-Vac appearing on his back before he sucked up as much sand as he could. Vic-Vac coughed a bit, but grinned.

"You just got dusted!" Vic-Vac quipped. Lan looked at the Matter Wave, confused. "Sorry, that's… the catch phrase from _Ghost Crisis."_

"_It's actually pretty nice,"_ MegaMan said.

Lan walked into the Plaza Stage area, where Cain and Hyde were standing. "Mayor Cain!" Lan yelled. "What are you doing here!?"

"Lan Hikari," Cain greeted. "It's been some time since you and I fought over the Cybeasts."

"You know him?" Hyde asked.

"Yes," Cain answered. "He is the son of Dr. Hikari, who moved to Cyber City at my request. Lan, however, has a knack for sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. I'm not surprised he showed up, here."

"What did you do to Cyber City!?" Lan demanded. "Where is it!? Where are Mick and Tab!?"

"He seems angry," Hyde said. "Young man, are you perhaps here to play the role of the hero?"

"Role of the hero?" Lan asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, every story needs a hero," Hyde explained. "And you're just in time for auditions."

"What Mr. Hyde means to say is we have a more immediate crisis on our hands," Cain said. "Cyber City can wait… 200 years. Right now, we have the potential for a massive explosion. You and MegaMan are our only hope in saving Wilshire Hills. I had this clock equipped with a jack. Perhaps you can send your Net Navi inside?"

"…I don't know," Lan scowled. "How do I know this isn't a trap? You tried to take control of MegaMan and the Cybeasts before!"

"_We don't have time to debate about whether or not it's a trap,"_ MegaMan replied. _"The threat's very real! I can tell that the electricity going through that is building up… if we don't do something, this city will be destroyed!"_

"Lan," Cain said, "I take it you want to know what happened to Cyber City? If you do this for me, I'll tell you EVERYTHING you need to know! Besides, it's not like you to turn away from a crisis!" Lan scowled, but looked at the clock. "Please, Lan… you have to help me."

"…Fine!" Lan said. "Come on, MegaMan!" Lan ran up the stairs onto the stage, and found a place to jack in. "Jack-in, MegaMan, Execute!"

-HH-

**Great Clock CC**

When MegaMan touched down in the Cyber Core, he found himself staring at a Mr. Prog neck-deep in sand. In fact, much of the area was flooded with sand that kept flowing off into the bottomless chasms of the Cyber World. As usual, there was a security gate keeping him from going into the next area.

"Oh, please tell me you're here to save us!" the Prog said.

"There are Mr. Progs here?" MegaMan asked. "After everything else today, I was worried I'd never see one of you again. But yeah, I'm here to help! What happened?"

"Oh, it's horrible!" the Prog explained. "The Great Clock has been flooded with cyber-sand, courtesy of some robed Net Navi—at least, I think it was! Many of my friends are trapped like this! Please tell me you can fix this!"

"I don't know, actually," MegaMan confessed. "I don't have a program that's capable of blowing away or sucking up sand."

"_I think I can help!"_ Vic-Vac spoke up. He then digitized next to MegaMan. "Surprised to see me, MegaMan?"

"_Vic-Vac?"_ Lan asked from the real world. _"How'd you get in the Cyber Core?"_

"I came from your Hunter-VG, Lan," Vic-Vac answered. "Remember, I'm an EM Wave being. I can enter and exit the Wave World, and with it, Cyber Cores! Even though this place is based off old tech, I can help MegaMan the same way I helped you in the real world—my pop-up. However, since you're using both hands in the real world, I can only be used when MegaMan's not moving and only in the direction he's facing. Let's try this out with this program here."

When Lan touched the pop-up, Vic-Vac appeared on MegaMan's back and sucked up the sand burying the Prog, freeing him. Vic-Vac then disappeared.

"Hey, I'm free!" the Prog cheered. "Thank you! I'll tell you about the changes made to this area. The jerk responsible for this has sand wave pathways that push you back, potentially into a quicksand trap. Don't worry, the quicksand won't delete you… it'll just drop you off back here. Some sand wave paths move faster than others… but not to fear! Before I got buried, I managed to find a flaw in his new security. There are hourglasses spread through here. If flipped over, they'll stop all of the sand waves for ten seconds, allowing you to just run through those trapped areas!"

"So, we need to find the other Progs and get them free?" MegaMan asked. "You'll be able to override the gate together, right?"

"Yep," the Prog answered. "There are three more of my friends in this area. If you need help cleaning out your vacuum friend, come to me and I'll do that for you! The sand also buried up some data! But it may have buried a few viruses who may be really mad about the sand. Be careful!"

"Thanks!" MegaMan said before rushing off. True to the Prog's word, there were sand waves all over, slowing him down as he ran against their currents. Of course, there were also viruses, but they only slowed MegaMan down. Eventually, MegaMan found the second Prog buried up to his neck in sand.

"Help!" the Prog begged. "Please tell me you're here to help!"

"Hold on!" MegaMan said as Lan summoned Vic-Vac, who sucked in all of that sand from MegaMan's back.

"Oh, thank you!" the Prog cheered. "I'll head back to the entrance to work on the gate! Can you find the rest of my friends?"

"I'll look for them!"

Throughout the rest of the area, MegaMan had to be very careful to avoid falling into the quicksand traps, and Lan had to strategize his uses of Vic-Vac. MegaMan found one of the hourglasses, and flipped it over, allowing MegaMan to quickly run down a path that had a long sand wave and get to another Mr. Prog, finding a few new Battle Chips along the way such as Sand Wave (a blast that did damage and briefly blinded the foe). Eventually, MegaMan had freed the last of the Mr. Progs in Great Clock CC 1. The Mr. Progs wasted no time in opening the gate to the next area, which MegaMan ran into.

When MegaMan entered Great Clock CC 2, he saw far more sand in the area than the previous one. _"Wow… how much cyber-sand is in here!?"_ Lan asked. _"It this the work of DesertMan or what?"_

"I don't think so," MegaMan answered. "Still, I think I can sense a powerful being not too far from here…" Before he could go any further, however, the cyber-sand beneath his feet gave out, trapping MegaMan up to his neck in sand. "What the…!?"

"I'm afraid I can't let you go any further, MegaMan," a new voice spoke up. "I am still not yet done with my preparations. Let my Sand Trap hold you."

"_Wait… who are you!?" _Lan asked.

"I am simply known as ChronoMan," the voice answered. "A Net Navi of time. I have been waiting for you two, Lan and Hub Hikari. How have you enjoyed your glimpse into the future?" MegaMan stopped struggling with the sand, and looked up.

"How did you know my real name?" MegaMan asked.

"_And why are you doing all of this!?"_ Lan demanded.

"How I know your name is irrelevant, MegaMan," ChronoMan replied. "But as for why I've chosen to attack the Great Clock… I plan on avenging Net society, of course. By 22XX, the world has all but forgotten us! Don't you fear becoming obsolete, MegaMan?" MegaMan said nothing. "To think, all of your accomplishments will be long forgotten in two hundred years time. You'll soon just be a thrown away footnote in history."

"_MegaMan, don't let him get to you!"_ Lan told him. _"He's going to destroy Wilshire Hills! And remember, we're looking for a way to save Cyber City!"_

"Ah, Cyber City," ChronoMan said. "It was tragic that I had to send that city, our beacon of promise, into a tragic future in order to bring this town here, but I had to get your attention somehow."

"_Wait, you're the one responsible for all of this!?"_ Lan realized. _"Why!? Why did you want to get our attention!?"_

"To lure MegaMan here to delete him, of course," ChronoMan answered. "As sad as it is, I cannot allow you Hikaris to interfere with my organization's plans. I will come for you, shortly, so take this moment to say goodbye to each other."

"_MegaMan,"_ Lan scowled, _"I'm getting you out of there!"_ He tried to jack out, but to no avail. _"What… why isn't the jack out command working!?"_

"Lan, I'm trapped in here!" MegaMan said. "The sand is somehow keeping me locked in place! Unless I'm pulled out, I'm done for!"

"_Hold on… Vic-Vac!"_ Lan remembered. _"He could get you out!"_ Lan pressed the pop-up, and Vic-Vac appeared, beginning to suck up the sand, freeing up MegaMan's right arm before stopping to cough.

"Sorry, but I'm too full," Vic-Vac apologized. "I can't suck up any more sand!"

"I'm sure… I can try to get out…" MegaMan grunted as he tried to pull his left arm free.

"Maybe we can help," a familiar voice spoke up. Vic-Vac turned around to see two Navis approaching. The Navis could have been identical twins if not for the color of their suits—one was dressed in all black, the other was in white—and the fact that the golden arm each of them was on a different side—the right side for the black Navi, and the left side for the white Navi. Other than that, they both had dark green skin, lines on their faces, and orange hair sticking out of their horned helmets. The white one had a calm, sincere face, while the black Navi scowled in contempt.

"Are you sure you wanna waste time saving this Mega Man?" the black one asked. "We could come back for him, later."

"Rey, you promised to help," the white Navi reminded him. "Lan, can you hear me?"

"_That voice… Pat!?"_ Lan asked. In the real world, Lan couldn't see him. _"Where are you? Is this your Navi?"_

"Right here, actually," the white Navi answered. "I… didn't want to reveal myself like this. And not this early. However, things look bad, and you could use the help."

"_Pat?"_ Lan asked. _"You're a Net Navi?"_

"The correct term is actually EM Wave Being," the black being known as Rey answered. "In this form, the kid you know as Pat and I are known as Gemini Spark. Call me Gemini Black. White is Pat. Don't worry… we're not here to fight you… yet."

"I promised him a little bit more control in our relationship," Pat, or rather Gemini White—explained. "He likes fighting and hates humanity. Anyway, let's get MegaMan out of here…" He grabbed MegaMan by the arm and pulled, freeing the blue Navi.

"Thanks," MegaMan said.

"Don't thank us yet," Gemini Black said. "We're stopping that guy, and we may come after you one day! Come watch if you feel like it!" Black then zipped off, turning into electricity.

"Rey!" Gemini White yelled before turning into electricity and following him.

"_An EM Being?"_ Lan said. _"Well, whatever Pat is, we should still help! MegaMan, let's hurry! I don't know how much more electricity the clock can take!"_

"Roger!" MegaMan nodded as Vic-Vac returned to the Hunter-VG.

MegaMan found a Prog who emptied Vic-Vac for him, and found out there were four other Progs who needed rescue. After using the hourglasses to stop the sand waves and rescue the Progs, they opened the gate where ChronoMan waited along with the Great Clock's power control system. Gemini Spark's ability to turn into solidified electricity benefited him, as it allowed him to just move by the security, and the two sides of him were already fighting the intruder.

MegaMan headed up to his location, finding a robed figure blocking two Elec Swords with a large scythe. The robed Navi pushed back both halves of Gemini Spark before trying to slash them, but both were quick enough to dodge the wide slash. The two aimed together and yelled, "Gemini Thunder!" From their massive gold hands a large lightning bolt shot out, blasting the robed Navi.

"You two are certainly strong," the old Navi said, standing up from the electricity. "However… my fight is not with you." He then slashed the ground with the scythe, causing sand to fly upwards. The robed figure held out his hand and yelled, "Stop!" The sand stopped in midair before forming small pellets of sand.

"Is that supposed to scare us?" Gemini Black asked.

"It should," the cloaked figure answered. "Why are you interfering with my fight against MegaMan?"

"Because you trapped us in the past!" Gemini Black answered. "And while I'm glad to not be in 22XX anymore, I'd rather not risk exploring the past with someone as dangerous as you running around going to try to stop me!"

"Meanwhile, I'd rather not you destroy Wilshire Hills!" Gemini White replied.

"Very well," the cloaked figure said. "The white warrior's goals are noble. But I'm afraid you two will only just stand in the way of my goals, and must be moved. Sands of Time Rain!" The rain fell down, striking Gemini Spark. They did not do a lot of damage.

"Is that the… best… you… got…?" Gemini Black asked. However, when Rey tried to attack, he moved slowly. He then stopped moving, much to the concern of Gemini White.

"Rey…?" Gemini White demanded. "What's… going… on…?"

"That would be your bodies slowing down," the robed figure said. "My Sands of Time can slow down, speed up, or reverse basic motor functions of anyone on the sand. It won't last forever, but the time it gives me is more than enough to attain victory. With enough power concentrated into my scythe, I can even cut space-time… like this! Time Wave Slice!" He then stabbed the ground with his scythe and yanked it, creating a hole of blue-green energy that looked like a clock. "This is nothing personal. I just can't have anyone else interfering. Enjoy your trip." MegaMan watched in horror as Gemini Black was slowly sucked towards the portal, helpless but to watch his fate. Gemini White was soon joining him. Both halves of Gemini Spark soon were sucked into the blue-green energy hole. The hole closed shut, leaving MegaMan no way of saving them.

"_What just… happened to Pat!?"_ Lan yelled.

"I sent those two… away," the robed figure said. "Even I have no idea wherever or whenever they ended up. But alas, I wasted too much energy with dealing with them. I cannot open another Time Wave for right now. I suppose I'll have to delete you with actual effort."

MegaMan looked at his foe. It was an old-looking Net Navi with a full white beard. His green eyes appeared dim with age. He wore bright white armor that appeared to be shaped partly like a tunic, a white hood over his head and brown gauntlets and boots. His Navi symbol was an hourglass, the symbol worn like a badge on his robe like armor.

"I take it you're ChronoMan?" MegaMan asked.

"Yes," the old Navi answered, shouldering his scythe. "We meet in person, MegaMan."

"Why did you attack Wilshire Hills and Cyber City!?" MegaMan demanded.

"Like I said, it was to lure you out," ChronoMan answered. "You and your brother never turn away from danger. This was all to get your attention. And now that I have it… I need something from you. Your data."

"My… data?" MegaMan said.

"MegaMan, although the future has long forgotten the contributions and sacrifices you and Lan have given them," ChronoMan said, "we Net Navis have not. As a Navi of Time, I know that you have fought more enemies and been exposed to more phenomena to consider you an ordinary Navi. You have conquered the Life Virus, slew Gospel, defeated Alpha, saved the planet from Duo, been exposed to the Dark Chips and survived Nebula Grey, and even once installed a Cybeast inside you—those last two cannot be pleasant experiences. There is also the Cross System and your Double Soul system, both of which grant you the powers of other Navis. Your data is far more valuable than you realize, MegaMan. You are basically a god in the body of a child, and a hero several times over. And you're wasted by humans failing to remember you. That potential is something I wish to obtain, to study… to add its power to my organization's purposes!

"Sadly, as does preventing you from interfering with our objectives, obtaining the data you hold also requires your deletion." Twirling his scythe, he then pointed it at MegaMan. "Your time has come to an end, MegaMan. Your hourglass runs out!"

"_Here he comes, MegaMan!"_ Lan yelled. _"Battle routine, set!"_

MegaMan yelled, "Execute!"

* * *

Kingdom Rider92's Notes: Well, we're ending this chapter here. Why? Because I want the boss fight and what comes after to be utterly awesome and shocking.

Sorry if I made Pat and Rey, two of the strongest EM Wave Changers (next to freaking SF Mega Man, Rogue, Acid Ace, Harp Note, and Taurus Fire), go down like that. Don't worry, these two will be seen again… and fought. Well, either that, or part of a side campaign (that would also feature Chaud and ProtoMan).

Anyway, Cain and Hyde are up to something, and ChronoMan is a threat… but first, reviews!

**Devil's Den:** I've been on an update spree for some reason. Really should be working on my other projects. I also suck at the liberation missions—how the heck do they expect us to clear a "defeat the enemy in X number phases or less to win a Special Chip" on our first run of the area when there's a bunch of Dark Panels in the way, the Darkloids have barriers powered by those monster spewing holes, and we have to suddenly get used to a new playable character on the fly in a three-turn battle!? I could never do that, and the only battle I could was the first Darkloid after leveling up a lot and just plowing through the area.

And while we're on the subject of BN5, am I the only one who finds it absurdly stupid that Dr. Regal had Mayl, Yai, and Dex's PETs stolen at the beginning of the game—Roll, Glyde, and GutsMan included—yet he never looked at these Navis he kidnapped and said, "How do I really upset MegaMan into probably not fighting me? I know! I'll turn his beloved comrades into Darkloids!" Seriously, considering what Regal does to MegaMan and ProtoMan/Colonel (the latter character most likely being the canon version since Lan clearly remembers interacting with Colonel and Baryl enough to be completely thrown off guard in BN6), you'd think he'd do something to Roll, GutsMan, and Glyde, and we'd finally have an excuse to battle Glyde (and also face Roll DS and GutsMan DS). Instead, nothing comes out of it, save for Regal just dumping them in a hole, and that backfired _**spectacularly**_ when GutsMan Guts Punched BlizzardMan in the face and he, Roll, and Glyde deleted BlizzardMan off screen for the third time while your teammates dealt with the other three Darkloids. All Regal accomplished by kidnapping Roll, GutsMan, and Glyde was removing them from the game's story so Capcom didn't have to think of anything for these guys to do and unintentionally screwing himself over. I cannot be the only person who thought this would be a good idea for boss fights. Geez, no wonder why he stopped being a villain after this game.

…I forgot where I was going with this.

**Ghost501: **_Star Force 3_ had some good ideas at least (the concept of Wizards, introducing the Noise Changes since the AM Sages and the OOPArt were gone, give Bud Taurus so he can finally fight alongside us, have Geo actually going into outer space again, Ace being freaking awesome, some emotional depth, wrapping up the Kelvin Stelar plotline, and some pretty sweet bosses, two of which had some back story to Omega-Xis). The bad things it did, though (completely forget about Pat, never giving Luna or Mr. Shepar their wave forms again (the former being especially inexcusable as Luna briefly Wave Changed in _Star Force 2, _and having Ophiuca would allow her to be less of a frequent victim), and the Warning siren that plays EVERY time Giant enemies or V3 Bosses show up that makes my heart stop) are memorable, however.

And thanks for helping me with ChronoMan.

**blee7442:** Yep… and Pat is gone, again. Don't worry, he'll be back!

As for Cain, yeah, he's kind of obscure—he's barely even mentioned on TV Tropes, and what's even mentioned about him is mildly wrong (he never created or controlled Falzar, that was his grandfather). It's a shame, too! Before Dr. Wily was known to have somehow survived being both nommed by Alpha and an active volcano that was in the middle of an explosion and Baryl came into the picture as the leader of WWW's field agents, Cain was looking to be the main antagonist, and has the most personal motive for wanting to control the Cybeasts (seriously, Wily lacks the history with them, meanwhile the Cybeasts were Cain's territory since his grandfather lost everything to them and he had to live with the harsh memory of his grandfather being ruined for most of his life, and became Mayor of the City where these two monsters were buried over for the sole purpose of revenge). Then, once Baryl and Wily come in, he's overshadowed and quickly disposed of by the writers. I managed to get him written in as a villain through the realistic fact that the Cybeasts—just by roaring—managed to do incredible damage throughout Cyber City, so he could escape during the chaos (since the Judge Tree seemingly controls everything in Green Town's Courthouse, including the poor prison that is the Punishment Room)… and while Wily and the WWW defectors were arrested at the end of the game, Cain and at least one WWW defector who is still evil could be on the loose...

**SubaruTC003:** Ha-ha, no. I have standards, dang it, and throwing a Cybeast (or something of that equivalent) at them _**this**_ early? Dude, we're on the first boss, we're not going to make it a giant freaking monster. That's last boss tier in every single _Battle Network _and/or _Star Force _game, and I'm not tradition now.

Sorry, you'll have to wait a little bit longer to see Geo's reaction to …

**reppuzan:** Yep, Hyde's back. And don't worry, he's still insane… you'll just have to wait to see how insane he really is. I can actually use him, since neither Geo nor Omega-Xis thought he'd be dead, and something happened that makes him technically useable.

As for Cain, thank you for thinking he'd be awesome! I figured with Wily and the Professor (from _Network Transmission)_ both in jail, Regal having amnesia while working at SciLab, Baryl reformed himself, and Sean not evil anymore, there aren't too many major villains left that can be heavy hitters in the _Battle Network _era… while with Cepheus and Vega giving up their goals (Cepheus learning that Earth wanted friendship rather than war and Vega motivated by Altair to NOT continue with her global conquest plans) and King actually dead (in a satisfactory sense that this is the first time in the BN/SF timeline you get to directly kill the villain), the only villain that could possibly work was Hyde. And if you're going to complain, "what, no other major Big Bad? Not even an OC?", I think I've already hinted at a great one.

**Kameo1:** Well, I'm not the first writer to cross over _Battle Network _and _Star Force… _trust me, I've checked. Anyway, I'm not going to lie when I say I grew up with _Battle Network_ and I like it and its sequel series. In fact, I didn't play _ZX _or _Zero_ until recently...

**Guest:** Cross Fusion? Hmm... I'm sorry when I say I refuse to comment on whether or not I'll use it. I love the concept of Cross Fusion (and I believe the team that worked on _Star Force_ saw the _NT Warrior _anime and was like, "Yeah, that'll work"), and while it's awesome in theory to fuse the powers of Net Navis with humans to allow for the cool super hero things Lan and later Geo pull off, it was drastically limited in the places that you can use it in Lan's time (Dimensional Areas, and honestly only the villains and Electopia's SciLab had access to that technology) and it was basically the anime's ideal of the game's Full Synchro. For now, Lan won't have that power and if I ever let him get to use it, I will only do so on the final boss since it would become a Godzilla Threshold... it would reasonably cause some strain on the human body, no matter how powerful Lan and Hub would be, but that power would have to require a great threat that Lan couldn't solve as just a human...

And that's all I've got! The next chapter will contain the battle against ChronoMan, and end the 20XX arc. Farewell, my subjects!


	5. Chapter 4: VS ChronoMan

A/N: Well, here is Chapter 4, the last of the 20XX focus before we switch to Geo and Omega-Xis. You'll see why, soon enough.

* * *

**Chapter 4: VS ChronoMan**

* * *

**Great Clock CC**

"Temporal Scythe!"

ChronoMan rushed forward, prepared to strike with his scythe. Luckily for MegaMan, Lan yelled, _"Sword Battle Chip in, download!"_ MegaMan's right arm turned into the traditional blue Cyber Sword he was used to, allowing him to block the scythe pushing down on him.

"MegaMan, even you cannot fight fate!" ChronoMan said. "Death is inevitable for all life forms, even us Net Navis. And even if you delete me, MegaMan, you'll only delay the inevitable! In the end, you'll only be forgotten by an ungrateful world!" MegaMan pushed back and slashed ChronoMan away his arm returning to its original form. ChronoMan slashed up the sand again and stopped it.

"_Like I told MegaMan and I'll tell you,"_ Lan replied, holding up two Vulcan 1 chips, _"not if we can help it! Vulcan 1 Battle Chip in, double download!"_

MegaMan's arm turned into a machine gun, and fired upon ChronoMan a few times, piercing the sand. The old Navi growled in pain after being countered, but noticed Lan and MegaMan were in Full Synchro. Before he could move, a second barrage of Vulcan fire hit him, doing more damage.

"You are strong, MegaMan," ChronoMan said. "But you will have to do better to have any hope in defeating me. Sand Panels!" MegaMan noticed that three Sand Panels appeared on each area of the field, both sets in no particular order. ChronoMan then slashed the sand beneath him, disappearing under it. MegaMan looked around, trying to find his opponent.

"Where did he go…?" the blue Navi asked.

"Temporal Upper!"

The ground beneath MegaMan burst open, and the blue Navi was sent flying by ChronoMan's upwards scythe slash. When MegaMan sat back up, ChronoMan raised his arm, summoning a large hourglass. He then threw it over MegaMan, where it stopped in midair and the sand began trickling down to the bottom.

"_Get out of there, MegaMan!"_ Lan ordered. The blue Navi nodded, getting from where the aged Navi had set up his trap. Meanwhile, ChronoMan drew his scythe and rushed with a Wide Sword ranged Temporal Scythe. MegaMan moved out of the way while Lan pulled out a Cannon Chip. _"Cannon Battle Chip in, download!"_ A green cannon manifested on MegaMan's right arm, and he blasted ChronoMan back. The hourglass, now out of sand at the top, fell down, harmlessly shattering on the ground and spreading the sand.

"Had enough, yet?" MegaMan asked. Charging up his Mega Buster, he warned, "I don't want to have to delete you if I don't have to! Just surrender, shut down the clock's power, return Wilshire Hills to 22XX, and bring Cyber City back!"

"I'll shut down the clock, alright," ChronoMan agreed. "I have no intentions of destroying the city. But surrender and return Wilshire Hills and Cyber City? I'm afraid I can't do either of those! Sand Wave!" He then shot out his own Sand Wave from the sand hitting MegaMan and blinding him. "Now, Sand Rain!" The time slowing sand pelted MegaMan from above.

"Processes… slowing… down…" MegaMan said before freezing.

"And now, to finish this," ChronoMan's voice declared. "Hourglass Drop!"

While his vision returned, MegaMan watched helplessly as ChronoMan summoned an hourglass above him. When the sand ran out, the blue Navi was crushed under the weight of the hourglass. MegaMan, once his processes returned to normal, managed to free his right arm, but the old Navi stepped on it before it could become a Buster. ChronoMan held his scythe to MegaMan's neck, the blade gleaming.

"Well, I must confess that I underestimated you," ChronoMan said. "But, in the end, we all are mortal. Any last words before I delete you? I'll be sure that they are recorded in history."

"_I have some,"_ Lan spoke up, holding up a Mega Chip. _"Roll Mega Chip in, download!" _A copy of Roll appeared next to ChronoMan, and slapped him with her energy ribbon antennas before healing MegaMan. Lan then held out three familiar looking Battle Chips. _"Sword, Wide Sword, and Long Sword Battle Chips in, download!"_

"Wait, isn't that the formula for the Life Sword Program Advance?" ChronoMan asked. He was answered by a bright light piercing the hourglass pinning MegaMan down, and a huge blade of energy overtaking MegaMan's right arm. The older Navi was blown back a few feet, allowing MegaMan to get up with no problems.

"Yes," the blue Navi answered, his mask forming over the bottom half of his face. ChronoMan readied his scythe.

"Settling this with one final attack?" the old Navi asked. "Very well… I'd rather not delay this for much longer. Farewell, MegaMan! Temporal Scythe!"

"Life Sword!"

Both Navis ran at each other and slashed past each other. Both of them looked back at each other. MegaMan collapsed onto one knee, exhausted. However, it was ChronoMan who collapsed in defeat, sparking with electricity from where he was slashed: his chest.

"We… we did it!" MegaMan breathed, surprised that he managed to beat a Navi that could control time.

"_Yeah, but you're not looking so good,"_ Lan said. _"Still, good job, MegaMan… now stop the Great Clock!"_ MegaMan got up and pressed a button that deactivated the Great Clock.

"It's off… the Great Clock is no longer in danger of overloading."

All of the sudden, a round of applause flooded the air. _"What's that…?"_ Lan asked.

"_Such heroics!"_ Hyde's voice said. _"Such bravery! That was truly amazing! You played the role perfectly! And we caught it all on film!"_

"_Wait, what?"_ Lan asked. _"You mean this whole thing… was televised?"_

"_Exactly!"_ Hyde answered.

-LH-

**Wilshire Hills**

Lan looked to see Hyde and Cain, the former with a wide grin, the latter standing in front of a smaller Copy Bot. "Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for your heroes!" Hyde said. "Lan Hikari and MegaMan… of 20XX!" Throughout the city, the applause died, and the townspeople looked confused while Lan's friends and family all stopped outside the Shopping Plaza.

"Where do we go from here?" Yuichiro asked the kids.

_**BEEP-BA-BEEP! BEEP-BA-BEEP!**_

"_Mayl,"_ Roll said, _"you have an e-mail, but I don't know who the sender is!"_

"_So do you, Dex!"_ GutsMan added. _"Roll, does your e-mail say something like 'Please come to the Plaza Stage', guts?"_

"I sense that's also the e-mail Miss Yai received," Glyde agreed. The group all looked at each other.

Looking at a nearby Air Display, Yuichiro spotted Lan confronting Cain and Hyde. "That is where we need to go. Let's go!"

Meanwhile, Lan looked at the two adults, confused. "How did you know about what happened to Wilshire Hills?" Lan asked.

"Well, I don't want to spoil the surprise until all of the players are present," Hyde answered.

"But you promised you'd tell us what you know!" Lan demanded.

"Ah, ah, ah, hero," Hyde declined. "The exact script was that _Cain_ promised to tell you what he knew. I was never cast in an expository role!"

"Lan!" Mayl called. Lan turned to see his friends and parents running into the Plaza Stage.

"Mayl, Yai, Dex, Mom, Dad," Lan breathed. "Are you guys alright? MegaMan and I stopped ChronoMan!"

"Wilshire Hills is alright," Yuichiro told his son. "You two did very well."

Haruka chided, "But you shouldn't have run off like that, Lan. You could have been hurt!"

"Thank goodness you and MegaMan are alright!" Mayl smiled.

"Mayl," Dex said, "It's Lan and MegaMan. Those two handle big things like this all of the time!"

"Still, Mayl has all right to worry," Yai said. "Lan, it's really rude to make ladies like Mayl and I this concerned!"

"You guys…" Lan chuckled.

"And here is the rest of the cast," Cain smiled. "Cut the feed." All of the cameras in the Plaza Stage turned off, leaving Cain and Hyde with the group. "And close the doors." The Plaza Stage's entrances suddenly sealed. Haruka turned towards the doors. As much as she pulled, they would not open again.

"It's no good," she said. "We're trapped in here!" Yuichiro joined her in pulling, but neither adult could open it.

"You're right… we're stuck in here!"

"I'm so glad everyone could make it," Hyde chuckled. "This next scene is an exclusive performance with a special cast… it's not for the public to see."

"So this _was_ a trap!" Lan accused.

Cain ignored him and pulled out a black and red Hunter-VG, and looked at it. "Wish Genie, for my next wish: restore ChronoMan to his full vitality. He's weak, but with the Oasis Water you've provided us, he should recover."

"_Understood, Master Cain,"_ a female voice spoke up.

-HH-

**Great Clock CC**

MegaMan looked behind him in time to see a purple light touch down next to ChronoMan. The light faded, revealing a dark brown skinned female Navi… at least, MegaMan thought it was. She appeared to be about Roll's height and around his age. Her hair was dark red in a long, thin ponytail, and her eyes were a chocolate brown. A purple veil covered her mouth, but he could make out the shy frown. She was dressed in a purple top-like chest armor that would have exposed her midriff if not for the gold wrap around her left shoulder and right hip, a long open purple skirt over a pair of white harem pants, gold gauntlets, and a pair of gold pointy shoes. Around her neck was a gold collar that had a purple Ν tag hanging from it. In her gold gloved hands was a purple and gold pillow with a pair of golden goblets and a fancy clear bottle containing water on top.

"Hello, MegaMan," the female figure bowed. "It's an honor to meet the legend of 20XX. I just wish it were under better circumstances…"

"Who are you!?" MegaMan asked. The girl knelt down, gently placing the pillow down before removing the goblets and setting them aside. She then grabbed the bottle of water and opened it, pouring it into the goblets.

"Genie," she whispered, "come forth, please." A purple and gold energy creature manifested itself next to her. It looked like her, only with a white energy-like body where the purple and gold clothing didn't cover and a wispy tail. As MegaMan stared at the creature, the girl picked up one of the goblets and presented it to him. "Here… take this Oasis Water."

"Oasis Water?" MegaMan asked. "Aren't you here to fight?"

"No," the girl answered while the being next to her flipped over ChronoMan. "I do not want to fight you. I have only been called to heal ChronoMan. I have not been wished by Master Cain to fight you, but Master Cain never wished for me to not heal you, as well. This water is from an oasis in YumLand's Desert Ruins that will heal grievous injuries and purify the body of any unnatural threats." As if to prove her trustworthiness, she held up ChronoMan's head and poured the water down his throat. ChronoMan's injuries healed, allowing the old Navi to awaken. He coughed at the water going down his throat, but he seemed to be no worse for wear.

"I was careless…" the old Navi said. "I shouldn't have engaged in a Net Battle immediately after disposing of those two intruders… MegaMan wouldn't have defeated me so easily."

"_Nonsense, ChronoMan!" _Hyde said from the real world. _"You performed spectacularly! You may not have defeated MegaMan, but you certainly put on a show as the villain!"_

"_You should jack out, ChronoMan,"_ Cain advised. _"I have plans for you."_

"…Very well…" the old Navi said before disappearing in a flash.

The girl once again offered MegaMan the Oasis Water, who took it. "Um… thanks…?"

"I'm sorry that we have to be enemies, MegaMan," the girl said as her companion disappeared in the same digital way she appeared in. "You are a good Navi, I can tell… that's why I'm a fan of you."

"A fan?" MegaMan asked.

"However, I have my reasons for following Master Cain." She then looked up, and said, "Master, I have done as you have requested."

"_Thank you, Wish Genie. That will be all for today. You may return to what you were doing until I call on you again."_

"Take care, MegaMan," the girl known as Wish Genie said to MegaMan. "I have a feeling we'll meet again…" She then disappeared in a purple flash.

"What is a nice girl like her doing with Cain?" MegaMan asked.

"_MegaMan," _Lan yelled, getting his brother's attention. _"we're trapped! Jack out, we may need you!"_

"Roger!" MegaMan said before jacking out.

-LH-

**Wilshire Hills**

When MegaMan returned to the PET, he found that his and Lan's friends and family were all locked in the Plaza Stage room with Cain and Hyde, the latter applauding.

"Bravo, bravo!" Hyde declared, clapping loudly. "You all make excellent actors! You followed the script exactly as I wrote it—more so than those lousy 22XX cast members! I mean, just look at what happened when ONE of them showed up—the plot nearly unraveled, and ChronoMan was forced to expose his powers early to return the show to its script!"

"Script?" Yai asked. "Is this whole thing a play or movie stunt?"

"Perhaps I should explain since you'll never be able to stop me," Cain said, dropping his smile. "Mr. Hyde, while not in the proper mentality, is a director… an excellent director who helped plan my return, to a time that has no record of the Cain legacy. You've probably guessed by now, but ChronoMan… is my Net Navi."

"ChronoMan is your Net Navi!?" Yuichiro asked. "Then that means you attacked your own presentation on top of faking your rediscovery of Net society!"

"And don't forget my favorite part," Hyde said. "After all, it's not every day that a Navi equipped with EM Wave technology and powered with enough Crimson can control his powers enough to actually rip open distortions in space-time, allowing us to replace cities!"

"Cain, what do you get out of switching a city from the present with a city of the future!?" Yuichiro asked. "I know you wouldn't act without a goal in mind… just like how you tricked me into giving you the ExaMem program you used to modify CircusMan to capture the Cybeasts!"

"Simple, Dr. Hikari," Cain answered. "As you know, I am a vengeful man. Your sons Lan and MegaMan understand that better than anyone, and you know my grandfather went down in infamy because of the Cybeasts. Using the technology of the future—courtesy of Mr. Hyde, here—and my own political knowledge, I will have my revenge on both Cyber City, the next-generation society that rejected my family's right to be heroes… and you, the Hikaris, for dooming my family to becoming villains for generations! And once I have finished my revenge and my feud with the Hikaris has come to an end, I will use the power of ChronoMan and his ability to manipulate time as EM Wave Navi to establish Chromos as a superpower organization and rule the world for all of time."

"Rule the world for all of time!?" Mayl asked.

"You guys at Chromos are crazy!" Yai declared. "It's one thing to try to take over the world, but try to rule for all time!? Nobody can rule the world forever!"

"True, humans are mortal," Cain realized. "But once I've exacted my revenge, I will look into finding a way to surpass that…"

"If you want revenge on someone," Lan scowled, "then it's me who you want! Leave Mayl, Dex, Yai, and my parents out of this!"

"But it's the ENTIRE Hikari family who has wronged me," Cain answered. "You, Lan, exposed me as a criminal in an attempt to save MegaMan before I could get my hands on him and his Cybeast. MegaMan, it was you who helped delete both of them before I could escape from custody and take my birthright back from Wily! Dr. Hikari, it was you who foiled my plans to obtain the Cybeasts from the beginning by allowing MegaMan to have the capabilities to seal a Cybeast inside of him. And it was Dr. Tadashi Hikari who created the Underground which buried my grandfather as a devil by an ungrateful society!" Composing himself, Cain continued, "I've already gotten my revenge on Cyber City by abandoning it in a time where its technology is obsolete. All that's left is you all."

"You won't get away with this!" Dex scowled. "We'll stop you!"

"Ah, you are so naïve in your role in this script," Hyde said. "You are not the hero of this story. And even if you were… you cannot save the day."

"What Mr. Hyde means to say is no matter what you do or what you know, it doesn't matter to me," Cain said. Looking at the normal-sized Copy Bot next to him, he asked, "I'm sure you're all familiar with the Copy Bots?"

"Wait… that's MegaMan's Copy Bot!" Lan realized. "Give it back!"

"If I did, Lan," Cain said, "then ChronoMan wouldn't be able to do this." ChronoMan's form overtook the Copy Bot, scythe and all.

"Lan Hikari," the old Navi breathed. "We meet in person. You, your family, your friends… and the person you could not live without."

"That Copy Bot has been customized for power use, ChronoMan. Freeze them."

"Very well!" ChronoMan yelled, slashing the sand on the ground, and forming the rain. "Sand Rain!" He launched the first collection of sand at Yai, but Glyde blocked it, getting the sand on him.

"Glyde, are you okay!?" Yai asked.

"Yes… Miss… Yai…" Glyde said as his processes slowed. Yai activated her PET, and returned Glyde to it, leaving her Copy Bot empty. When she checked on him, he was still partially frozen.

"What did you do to Glyde!?" Yai demanded. "His movement processes are frozen!"

"He won't be deleted by that," ChronoMan answered. "I've only slowed down his body… just like you will be!" He launched a second Sand Rain at her, this time slowing her down.

"Can't… move…" Yai whispered.

"Guys, don't let the sand get on you!" Lan yelled. However, Dex was hit with the time-slowing sand.

"Too… late… for that…" Dex groaned.

Yuichiro blocked a sand rain meant for Haruka, but she too was hit. This only left Lan and Mayl as the ones who weren't frozen.

"Ah, the hero and his lovely heroine," Hyde chuckled. "Quite romantic." While Lan scowled, Mayl could not help but blush by Hyde's comment. ChronoMan turned his attention to her, and prepared to slice the ground again for his sand. "The last two left standing. What will you do hero? Will you attempt to save yourself, leaving the lady to her doom? Or will you sacrifice yourself to buy the heroine time? Either way makes a good tragic ending to this script!"

"…Lan…" Mayl breathed. Despite being scared of the Navi, she tried to stand strong. "Forget about me, Lan! Save yourself and MegaMan!"

"I'm afraid that you won't escape," ChronoMan said. "Sand Rain!" Mayl closed her eyes as the sand storm began to fall—

Only for a sudden weight to push her out of the way. She looked up to see Lan, his arms extended, standing in front of her. He was covered in sand.

"Lan, no!" Mayl cried.

"Mayl…" Lan told her, his body slowing down because of the sand's effects. "Get… out of here…"

"Ah, so the hero DOES care about his heroine," Hyde chuckled. "And here you told me he was dense."

"He still is," Cain said. "His grades, if I remember from being his principal, were lackluster. However, he does care for his friends… her in particular. Behind MegaMan and his parents, he goes the farthest for her, if studying his past adventures has served me well." He noticed ChronoMan walking over with his scythe, prepared to start with the reaping process. "ChronoMan, stay your blade. I want Lan Hikari to watch what we'll do to his loved ones, and her fear will be greatest."

"If you do not wish for me to destroy them," ChronoMan asked, "then what do you wish for me to do?"

"You should have fully recovered from last night's move and your battles with those two intruders and MegaMan thanks to the Oasis Water that Ring Genie gave you," Cain said. "I'm sure you're capable of opening Time Waves?"

"…Very well," ChronoMan said. "Time Wave Slice!" His body then shone bright green before slashing the air several times, opening several clock-shaped Time Waves.

"Lan, I know you can hear me," Cain taunted. "Watch what we do to your loved ones." Turning to ChronoMan, he ordered, "Send them away."

"Understood." ChronoMan then snapped his fingers, and Dex began being pulled towards one of the Time Waves.

"No… don't…" Lan begged. "Don't… hurt them…"

"It's far too late, Lan," Cain said. "This is my revenge on you: making you live with the fact that your friends and family are gone, and there's nothing you can do to bring them back!"

"GUUUUUYYYYSSS…!" Dex yelled, falling into the Time Wave.

"DEX…!" Yai, Mayl, and Lan yelled. Dex's Time Wave closed.

"Please… stop… Cain!" Yuichiro pleaded.

"Don't… do this…" Hakura begged. "They're… only children…"

"I… can't stop… moving…" Yai breathed. Being smaller and lighter than the rest of the group, she was pulled to a Time Wave faster. She managed to gain control of her arms, pressed a button on her PET with her right hand, and reached out to Lan and Mayl with her left… but to no avail as she fell into her Time Wave.

"CHECK YOUR PETs—!" were Yai's last words before the Time Wave slammed shut.

"Yai, no…!" Mayl breathed. She turned to Cain, Hyde, and ChronoMan, enraged tears in her eyes. "You monsters! You… you killed Dex and Yai! What did they ever do to you!?"

"You should not worry about them," Cain said. "I can assure you from experience that death is not immediate upon entering a Time Wave. How long they survive in their new locations, however, well… that depends on them."

"The script may call on them again," Hyde added. "So they've just been… misplaced for now."

"Please…" Haruka called. "Bring… those children… back!"

"No can do," Hyde wagged his finger. "They're already gone, recast by history. Even we have no clue wherever and whenever they will act out their new roles, but they'll never be seen or heard from again! And soon, so will you!" Haruka was about to ask what that meant when she felt her body moving backwards, being pulled in by the next Time Wave.

"Mom…!" Lan cried out.

"Ha… Haruka…" Yuichiro breathed. He managed to regain control over his limbs in time to run over to his wife, embracing her. However, he realized that he too was being sucked into the Time Wave and was too close to resist the pull. "Lan, MegaMan… no, Hub!" he yelled at his sons. "We'll find a way back to each other, I promise! No matter what happens, we'll get through this! Until then, Lan, Hub… take care of yourselves!"

"Lan… Hub…" Haruka whispered, tears running down her face. "Watch over Mayl and Roll, okay?"

Lan watched in horror as Yuichiro and Haruka stopped resisting the Time Wave and allowed themselves to be sucked in together. The Time Wave slammed shut, leaving Lan and MegaMan's parents' lives in the hands of fate.

"This script's tragedy writes itself," Hyde laughed. "Such sad final words between parents and children!"

"Goodbye, Dr. Yuichiro Hikari," Cain commented. "You were quite the worthy adversary in terms of the sciences, even if you did not know my skill with technology. It's a shame that I knew that you would never agree to help control the Cybeasts… otherwise I would be reluctant to have disposed of you. If only you lacked the morals that held you back, then I could actually see us being friends."

"Please, enough!" Mayl demanded from Cain. "Haven't you caused enough pain!? Can't you bring them back!?"

"Like I said," Cain replied, "this is my revenge to Lan Hikari for what he's done. He exposed my ties to the WWW, cost me my control over Cyber City, destroyed the Cybeasts, and ruined any chance at restoring my family's honor. Those four were to bloody him. Now, I will break him, ending with you... Miss Mayl Sakurai."

Mayl gasped, surprised that Cain actually KNEW her name. He knew Lan and Yuichiro's, but he never implied that he knew HER. And he just mentioned that he was going to make Lan finish suffering with her. Who knows what these monsters would do to her.

"No…" Mayl heard Lan whisper. "No!" Lan broke free of the sand's effects, and rounded towards Hyde, Cain, and ChronoMan. "I don't care how strong you are, Mayor Cain! You're not laying a finger on Mayl or anyone else! You will bring Dex, Yai, and my parents back right now!"

"He's not the one you should worry about, Lan Hikari," Hyde grinned, stepping in front of Cain and ChronoMan and pulling out a black Hunter-VG that looked rather old. "While in the Cyber World, you and MegaMan are virtually unstoppable… in the real world, you are nothing compared to me! Wizard On!" A red EM Being appeared in front of Hyde, looking somewhat like a ghost with a white smiling mask and a large black collar.

"Is it our time to shine, Hyde?" the ghostly Wizard asked.

"Yes it is, Phantom," Hyde grinned. "EM Wave Change! Hyde, On the Air!"

Hyde raised his Hunter-VG in the air with his left hand, and slammed his cane down with his right while Phantom flew at him, entering his body with a red flash. Hyde's Hunter-VG disappeared, allowing him to place his left hand to his face, which seemed to be gaining Phantom's mask. His body was enveloped in red flames before dying down, revealing his new form. His face had turned dark green under the white mask while his eyes became a sinister red. His blonde braids of hair turned wild. Beneath the black and red cape his clothes became a dark tuxedo-like armor, and his white cotton gloves turned silver and metallic. Completing his ensemble was a black top hat and his trademark cane, which had a sleeker bird head.

"What the…!?" Lan asked.

"He transformed…?" Mayl questioned. "By… merging with his Wizard!?"

"Yes," Hyde answered. "Just like the interfering fool who was quickly removed from the stage, I too can EM Wave Change with the help of my ally, Phantom, the last UMA of his kind! But in this form, I am known as the Dark Phantom! And considering how limited your technology in the past is… you have no means of countering my power in the real world!" As if to prove his point, a group of witch hat wearing ghosts popped up next to Lan and Mayl, causing both to scream in fear and Mayl to unconsciously grasp Lan's arm.

"Where did these ghosts come from!?" Mayl asked.

"I don't know," Lan answered, "but for them to have come up here… is this that Dark Phantom guy's doing!?"

"_These aren't any ordinary ghosts, Lan!"_ Vic-Vac said from Lan's Hunter-VG. _"They're EM Viruses based off ghosts!"_

"Who was that!?" Mayl asked.

"Oh, Vic-Vac!" Lan remembered, holding out his Hunter-VG. He pressed Vic-Vac's pop-up, allowing the Matter Wave vacuum to digitize in the real world, on Lan's back. "Mayl, this is my Matter Wave friend, Vic-Vac!"

"Charmed, miss!" Vic-Vac breathed. "So, Lan, is this your girlfriend or what?"

"Vic-Vac, not now!" Lan scowled, ignorant of Mayl's blush. However, he was blushing himself.

"Sorry, sorry," Vic-Vac chuckled. "She just seems close to you, Lan. So, we should probably stop gawking and start dusting to save her, huh? Don't worry, these viruses have two fatal flaws on them… they're EM Wave beings, which I can handle, and they're ghosts. And before all of this… I was a ghost duster! This is right up my alley!"

"Alright, then," Lan grinned, "let's dust these ghosts!" Lan turned on Vic-Vac's suction abilities, absorbing the ghost viruses… but Dark Phantom was unaffected.

"Is that really the best defense you have against me?" Dark Phantom laughed. "A full Matter Wave Vacuum?"

"Full?" Lan asked, looking at Vic-Vac. Indeed, the vacuum was overstuffed thanks to the EM Viruses. Vic-Vac stopped, too exhausted to continue, and returned to the Hunter-VG.

"_No can do, kid,"_ Vic-Vac apologized. _"While I am a ghost duster vacuum, I don't think I can dust THAT ghost! After that Cyber Core and those last ghosts, I'm way too weak…"_

"Oh no…" Lan breathed, realizing that without Vic-Vac, as long as Dark Phantom and ChronoMan were both in the real world, he was defenseless. He stood in front of Mayl, determined to at least prevent her from being hurt. "Let Mayl and Roll go, at least! It's me and MegaMan you want, right?"

"He has a point, Master Cain," ChronoMan admitted. "We're only here for MegaMan. The girl and her Navi are not important…"

"Ah, but ChronoMan," Cain replied, "if we let Mayl Sakurai go now, there is no telling what she'll do. She may attempt to expose us to the Net Police and the Officials. I cannot risk the idea of them actually believing her, no matter how powerful you are and how impossible this situation would sound."

"Not to mention that she makes for an excellent leading lady!" Dark Phantom grinned. "Don't you Miss Sakurai?" Lan still stood in front of Mayl, not letting Phantom get near her. "Are you sure you wish to challenge me, hero? This particular scene won't call for a happy ending for you."

"I don't care!" Lan scowled. "Leave her alone!"

"Very well, hero," Dark Phantom shrugged. "But don't say I didn't warn you! Phantom Claw!" All of the sudden, a dark hand rushed out from Dark Phantom's chest and punched Lan in the face, knocking him on his back. Before Lan could move, the same dark claw grabbed him, and slammed him into the ground twice before coming in front of a semi-conscious Lan, and smacking him with his cane, sending the boy to the ground.

"Lan!" Mayl breathed, rushing to his side and kneeling down. "You… you didn't have to do that…!"

"_Mega,"_ Roll asked, _"are you and Lan alright!?"_

"_Mayl,"_ MegaMan advised from Lan's PET, _"watch out!" _Before Mayl could react, Dark Phantom disappeared, reappearing behind her and grabbing her by the back of her blue vest with his cane. Mayl screamed.

"Are you watching, Lan Hikari?" Dark Phantom asked, holding the girl in front of a recovering Lan, almost taunting Lan with her safety. "The poor heroine is screaming out for you. What will you do next, hero?" Despite his injuries, Lan sat up, holding his side. Mayl's face was full of tears. Whether they were for him being hurt over her, the realization that she was being held hostage by a dangerous monster like Dark Phantom and there was nothing she could do, or the fear that just about everyone she cared for was gone and she would soon share their fate, Lan did not know nor care. He couldn't lose her… he shouldn't have to lose her.

"Let… her go...!" Lan demanded once again. Dark Phantom seemed to comply, leaning Mayl down in front of him. Lan and Mayl reached out for each other… only for Dark Phantom's face twisted into a crazed, sadistic grin. He pulled Mayl back mere seconds before their fingers could connect.

"Very poor choice of words, hero," he answered before whipping around and throwing Mayl, her hand reaching out for Lan, into a nearby Time Wave.

"LAAAAAAAAAAANNN!" she yelled right before entering it. The last thing Lan saw before the Time Wave slammed shut was the fear and tears adorning Mayl's otherwise innocent face.

"Mayl…" Lan breathed, collapsing in shock.

"_Roll…"_ MegaMan added.

"And exits the heroine, thus breaking the hero in a way he's never been broken," Dark Phantom said. "And thus concludes the tragedy of Lan Hikari. Although, to be fair, he never specified where I was to let her go."

"_First Pat… then Dex and GutsMan,"_ MegaMan recalled. _"Then Yai and Glyde. Then Mom and Dad… and now Mayl… and Roll."_ MegaMan scowled from the PET. _"Mayor Cain, I knew you were rotten, but this was all too far!"_

"I told you that I would take my revenge," Cain said. "And now, it's all but complete."

"_If you want revenge, I'm right here in Lan's PET!"_ MegaMan said. _"Take me in their place! Do whatever you want with me, but have ChronoMan bring them back!"_

"MegaMan…" Lan gasped.

"_Lan, our friends and family are worth more than ten—no, a thousand of me!"_ MegaMan answered. _"If I have to be deleted just to save the world, then you'd know I would sacrifice myself to do it to save all of you!"_ ChronoMan walked forward, grasping Lan's PET and shutting it off.

"It's about time we finish this," ChronoMan said. "We'll talk again when it's time for your execution, MegaMan."

"You're powerless to make any demands in exchange for your life, MegaMan, anyway," Cain said. "Seeing how defeated Lan is, however, you are no longer useful to me."

"I was told his data was essential to the plans of Chromos!" ChronoMan recalled, turning to his Net Op. Cain shook his head.

"I thought so, too, until I remembered something," Cain replied. "MegaMan, despite all of his power, is but one young Navi. The data we're looking for in him would more than likely be in several places around the world throughout the next two hundred years, and there are parts of our plan for which his data is useless at best. While it would be even more convenient to harvest what we need from him right now, the data we would obtain from him that would be essential to us is too weak to follow through with our final plan. And considering how dangerous I just proved that I am when I have nothing left to lose, destroying MegaMan at this point would only encourage Lan Hikari to meddle even more just to stop us, and we would risk exposure."

"Besides," Dark Phantom said, "why not let our fellow Chromos members have some fun throughout time? I have several scripts written for them, and it would be a waste if I didn't get to at least try them out. It'll give us more time to prepare the grand finale."

"Excellent point, Hyde," Cain said. ChronoMan scowled, but stood down, throwing the PET back to Lan. "You're in luck, Lan Hikari and MegaMan. We've come to the agreement on letting you live… for now. A word of advice, however: do not attempt to interfere with my plans. Do not attempt to find your way back here—stay where you're sent and let me reshape the world. If you do, you may find yourself without a future, and your loved ones—wherever and whenever they are—will suffer the consequences." A final Time Wave appeared behind Lan, dragging him and MegaMan towards it. "Farewell, Dr. Lan Hikari."

Lan entered the Time Wave, which slammed shut.

"Annnnnnnnnnnnnd cut!" Dark Phantom grinned, clapping his hands. "That was a wonderful performance, Mr. Cain! The actors were great, the emotion was superb, the cameo by Wish Genie could not have been better timed, and we have actually defeated MegaMan! But that final line you gave… 'Farewell, Dr. Lan Hikari'! That was brilliant, especially considering who he was to become! Well, it looks like we'll have to recast the man who established EM Wave society… and right now, you're the perfect candidate."

"Yes, yes," Cain chuckled. "But it was thanks to you and ChronoMan that this was all possible, Hyde. Your EM Wave technology has made ChronoMan capable of such power, and we've crushed my enemies and have all but taken control of the most important city in Electopia's future that easily. Thanks to you, I now have one of the most powerful Net Navis in the next two hundred years… and all of the time in the world to plan our next move."

"Speaking of which," ChronoMan asked, "what shall we do now that our enemies are scattered throughout time? They may find a way back to 20XX to stop us. No doubt the amount of Time Waves I've opened has done so throughout the rest of time. They may attempt to open them and use them to return here. If we don't do something about them…"

"You have a point, ChronoMan," Cain said. "We're risking a lot with this, even if it buys us more time to perfect our final plan. And its doubtful Lan will heed my warning."

"Not to worry, Mr. Cain," Dark Phantom said. "I've actually thought ahead in case you'd ever enact this script, and I've cast the role of 'the hunter'. The hunter is currently collecting Crimson to help increase ChronoMan's power and fuel our grand finale, but he's willing to take a second role. Also, the scientist, the captain, the doctor, and Wish Genie are all on standby waiting for their next task… as is the commander."

"Very well," Cain nodded. "Tell the commander he is to remain on standby and command our Navi and Wizard forces with their missions. The scientist is to prepare for work, as we'll be gathering the necessary components for the master plan in the long-term. As for 'the hunter', tell him I have his first mission: we don't know if the Hikaris will heed my warning. In the realistic chance that they don't, he is to briefly stop his Crimson hunt and eliminate MegaMan."

"And the other actors, Wish Genie, the doctor, and the captain?"

"I plan on informing them myself," Cain finished. "In the mean time, we should clean this up… and continue our plans." ChronoMan knelt down, exhausted. Looking at ChronoMan, Cain asked, "How much Noise built up in you?"

"Quite a bit, actually," ChronoMan said. "As an EM Wave Navi, I'm more suspect to it than ordinary EM Wave Beings like Dark Phantom."

"Ah, the fallback with being an EM Wave Navi," Dark Phantom sighed. "You're incredibly powerful since all Navis have combat capabilities to start with—how much depends on the Navi's customizations—but your old technology cannot adapt to the new concept of Noise very well."

"If I keep using my power to create Time Waves like this... even with Wish Genie's healing Oasis Water, I fear I'll self-delete before we see our plan bear fruit."

"We'll get our hands on the Noise Control Program that Dark Phantom talked about, I promise," Cain said. "When we do, we'll be able to use your powers far more freely… and you'll become strong enough to enact our master plan."

"Indeed," Dark Phantom said. "So, while we send the hunter after MegaMan, what scripts should we put in action?"

"Do you have one for the Noise Control Program?" Cain mused. "I need to know the components for it so our scientist can construct it. Who knows? With the right tools, the scientist can also work the Noise Control Program on our final plan... help me succeed where my grandfather failed."

"Why, what a coincidence," Dark Phantom smirked. "I do have a new script just for obtaining the blueprints for it. I even know where to get them! And I also know the time…"

* * *

**Unknown Location**

Lan's vision blurred as he lied on the ground. His body was in so much pain from his beating at the hands of Dark Phantom and being thrown through time, he couldn't tell which was up or down. MegaMan being trapped in a shut off PET also didn't help. Floating in and out of consciousness, he could barely make out the figure of a girl around his age walking towards him. The girl gently knelt down, looking at Lan with sad brown eyes.

"You must press on, Lan Hikari," she whispered, placing her dark brown skinned hands on his chest. A bright blue light shined from his chest, while seven other lights—one pink, one green, one yellow, one black, one white, one brown, and one purple—shined in the distance before fading. The pink one notably lingered the longest. "Your loved ones… you must find them before its too late, Lan and MegaMan. I cannot protect them… but I can protect the two of you." A purple figure manifested itself next to her.

"When and where are we going to take them…?" the other person asked.

"…Our time," the girl answered. "They will have better luck there. And I know where help for these two lost souls will find them… let's hope that it's not too late."

"…But… our enemy is…"

"I know," the girl said. "And I know that our Master will not like it, but we have no choice. Time has already been damaged by a dangerous man because of a Navi. If Lan Hikari and MegaMan are not reunited with their loved ones, NO one will have a future… not even us. Please… call her… she's the only one we can trust."

As two set of hands grabbed him, Lan's world turned dark.

* * *

Kingdom Rider92's Notes: And thus ends the Wilshire Hills chapter of this, and with a "grim dark as heck" ending.

Before anyone comments, saying that I cheated Lan there at the end, I'm going to be honest… yes, I did. I couldn't spring the heroes out of defeat as long as Dark Phantom was around in the real world, since the technology capable of defeating him doesn't exist yet and I had to get rid of Pat and Rey in order to get away with this. I just wanted to establish that no matter how skilled of a Net Battler Lan is (and why the heck are he and MegaMan not Officials yet? Look at how many criminal plots they've thwarted!), he is still a kid and has very little if any real life combat training in the real world, so he'd be powerless against the EM Wave Change beings like Dark Phantom if he was facing them in the real world at this point. In fact, at this point, they'd be more-or-less outside-context villains for Lan and company.

As for Wish Genie… I'm going to be honest; I really, really, REALLY need help naming her properly. I feel that "Wish Genie" is bland. Her name would have been "Ring Genie", but there is the Navi known as "Ring" from _Mega Man Battle Chip Challenge,_ and I didn't want them being confused… and "Bottle Genie" was kind of weird and despite the Oasis Water, she doesn't use just water attacks…

**Ghost501:** So, humanoid final bosses like Duo (hard as hell guy), and Le/Ra Mu (seriously, screw that god of EM Waves), huh? …I'm not saying much more about the final bosses (and yes, there is more than one) other than you would slightly hate me... but I'm not doing .

**SubaruTC003:** I'm going to talk about this for everyone so we don't have to go through the process of answering "when Lan and Geo will meet". In Chapter 8, Geo will meet , a.k.a. "Hub". Lan and Geo will actually have a full conversation, however, for the first time in Chapter 9. With that said, ladies and gentlemen, please do not ask this question, I'm building a plot.

**Matteso585:** I was just going to have to remember that when there are chapters that both Mega Men are involved, I'd call the SF Mega Man "Geo", and BN MegaMan "Hub". Your option is also noted, however. So, by default, Geo would be called "Mega-Star" by Hub?

**Devil's Den:** That's exactly my point with why Regal dropped the ball in kidnapping MegaMan's friends in BN5—MegaMan is more reluctant to seriously battle GutsMan, Glyde, and especially Roll than he would be ProtoMan, and Roll as Empress proved to be dangerous and memorable with the fans. I know the anime is an adaptation of the games, but Roll DS would have been an emotional boss fight and would have pumped the player up to "I'm going to freaking _**kill**_ Regal" levels. But then again, Capcom would have been forced to kill him at that point since sparing Regal after forcing you to fight and possibly delete Roll, GutsMan, and Glyde would have been a massive middle finger.

And don't remind me of the 100 Warriors… while an awesome concept of Lan wielding a wooden katana and defeating 100 warrior dolls, it's not exactly the best level in practice... and this is from someone who just recently did it. However it gives me a great idea of a Matter Wave item… now, it's just a matter of how to implement it.

Oh, and speaking of the Matter Wave items, I know nobody has mentioned it so far, but I feel I need to explain why I chose to bring them back. I felt they were underused in _Star Force 2_ (The Sky Board could have been useful for fast travel- especially in the Sky Waves. I think I showed how the Vacuum could have been used in the dungeon-crawling. The Skis were used to get around Grizzly Peak's ski slopes and in that dungeon, showing it could be done. The Dive Machine was great for an underwater level, making Loch Mess one of the very few water levels I LIKED. However, I can't really think of how the Eating Machine, the Cooking Machine, or the Projector could have been better used other than one-off items unless a dungeon required you feeding a hungry security guard and requiring you to use the Cooking Machine to fix a dish for them and then use the Eating Machine to help them eat it. Projector is still useless unless a dungeon required you to use it to memorize a certain pattern. The Guide, however, would have opened a dungeon map so you could at least have some way of knowing where to go. Did I miss any of the Matter Waves?

**Ryuuto Raizel:** Thank you very much!

**Kameo1:** I really regret doing that to Pat and Rey. However, the plot required me to prevent them from saving the team… but Gemini Spark will be back and they will have revenge on Chromos. Also, as for the bad guys leaving him alone, MegaMan is a trouble magnet. Geo, too. No matter where Lan and Geo go, villains seem to pop up. The fact that Cain wanted revenge on Lan in this case scenario doesn't help… and Hyde has some motivations, but they're unknown for now...

And that's it! So, we're ready to move play from Lan and Hub to Geo and Omega-Xis! Well, actually, I'm going to update my other stories first, then come back to this. Oh, and if you're wondering about the lack of Chaud and ProtoMan, we'll see them eventually... just not right now.

Farewell, my subjects!


End file.
